Rookie Goddess
by Aurora Spirit
Summary: A serie of coinsidences has police investigator Aidra Mandragore end up with the gods of Olympos. And right in the middle of a crisis which treathens the world. Chapter 34: Deus ex machina - Back among the gods Aidra faces a different kind of problem. Different but just as hard as battling any Titans.
1. Machinegun Maniac

**Rookie Goddess**

_A serie of coinsidences has Aidra Mandragore, police investigator, ace shooter and martial art specialist, end up with the gods of Olympos. As well as right in the middle of a crisis which treathens the world. Aidra must learn to fight in many different ways, to face and embrace new ways of thinking, to love and most of all to understand that the world is so much more complicated than she ever thought, that it holds dreads and wonders she could never dream about earlier..._

_The gods don't enter the story from chapter one, but hang on in there, they will be around._

**Machinegun Maniac**

"He's got a gun!" Molly called out. "No, scratch that, big, heavy machinegun. Jeeesus! Watch it!"  
"Down!" I heard Ricky shout as the maniac with the blond, spiky hair started to fire his too-large weapon right into the staircase shaft. And in the fire line were my best friends. Molly, eight weeks pregnant and Ricky, only child to the policeman who had saved my father's life once, and an ancient friend of family.

Crouched behind the decayed wooden railing on the landing half a storey up, I could see the guy who had exited the door and almost in an instance opened fire instead of 'coming out with his hands over his head' as Rick had ordered. The gunman's pale blue eyes were burning with drug induced madness and he seemed utterly lost for this world, as if he was living his own private computer game. At that moment I realized that it was either him or Ricky, Molly and Molly's babe. Thus I didn't hesitate for a fraction of a section. I drew my gun, uncocked it, took aim and shoot. One bullet was all it took. One well aimed bullet passed right through the maniac's right temple and exited on the other side together with a splash of gray brain matter. Those creepy eyes went unseeing and the scrawny body in dirty jeans and army-green hoodie fell like a tree trunk in a storm, backwards, hitting the wall with peeling gray-brown plaster behind him, making bloody stains upon the surface before sliding down into a lump, leaving a trace of red blood on the wall, more or less like if a snail had slid down there. Almost in slow-mo it went.

0O0O0

While Rick was making the necessary calls after a shoot-down, Molly and I and our colleague number four, Simon entered the apartment. The place was hot like a kiln. Hot and empty of people in spite of the fact that we had seen a lot of people enter earlier. The darn foxes must've had several exits from their lair, I figured. The place lay in dusk since all the venetian blinds were down and the stale air stank of sweat, old garbage, sewer and weed. The informer had not been lying; the place was the drug dealer business' equivalent of Wal-Mart. There was everything. Everything from mellow marihuana to heavy heroine, and between a plethora of designer party drugs with goofy names like ZiriusZpinn and KoktailBalooza. These neon coloured pills were the drug market's equivalent of Prada and Bulgary and rumoured to be part of the arsenal of success for the greatest celebs this planet could come up with.

But I couldn't care less for rumours. I cared more for the hard facts of life. Like the reason why we had required the apartment next to this for a while now to spy on the business which was going on next door. And today it had finally become the D-day. The showdown. It hadn't been a simple break and enter, that much was for sure. On the other hand we were the best there were in the corp. NYPD's Special Drug Enforcement – SDE - had been active now for a bit more than a year and our reputation was growing stronger day by day.

"Okaaay," Molly was saying as she opened yet another drawer, finding more drugs, cocaine this time, just as the scribbling in misspelled Spanish had let us know. "So here is the goods, now where are the businessmen? Save for the Machine Gun maniac you had to down there in the staircase."

"Just wait, they'll be here. Rick and Melissa are taking care of Mr. Spikeyhair right as we speak. I can hear them out there. And as soon as they are gone we'll be waiting."  
"How about enforcement?"  
"On their way."  
"Are you sure you're going to stay, Mol?" Simon asked "After all it might get nasty and with your..."  
"...pregnancy, yeah. Won't stop me. I'm not a coward, and Binary is well hidden behind the vest."  
"Mol..."  
"Not you too, Addy! Stop it! I'm not going to chicken out."  
"But if anything..."  
"Stowe it!"

I shut up. It was no good reasoning with Molly. Had never been to be true. She was one of the most stubborn people I knew. Save for my old man of course. Old Abe Mandragore was unable to sway. I mean, he was probably the only one out of six billions of Earthlings who still believed that Nixon was a good guy. Nevertheless my father had been one of the best cops during his time in the force, and it sure was hard for a daughter to live up to. Never mind that I had got prices for my shooting and that I had been more or less headhunted for this force, I still felt the shadow of old Abraham looming over me as I did my thing. And would probably always do. My older brother Arthur had been smart enough to not become a policeman, he had chosen the army as a career from himself, and ended up more or less on the other side of the planet where no one knew him. Or Abe. Or cared for that matter. His aircraft carrier was somewhere in the Pacific at the moment and so far away from New York that it was like another world. Not that I had ever been there mind you, but I knew from his bragging emails what they did. Save for whatever might be classified of course.

Pushing those family thoughts away I went on doing my work. Glowed hands opening drawer after drawer, finding more of the goods for sale. Damn it, I had never seen so much drugs in my life, this much be worth a fortune down in the streets. Then there were some drawers holding guns, knives and cash money as well. Plenty of cash. A rough sum in my head told me that there were at least some 100 000 dollar lying around, although I had no doubt we'd find the bookkeeping somewhere around if we just kept on looking. Then why had Mr. Spikyhead lived like a hobo? Or was it just a cover of a kind? I guess we were going to find that out later.

Now enforcement arrived. They were already arresting more people down in the stairs, I could hear the commotions. And Molly had found the back door behind a tattered drape with a Buddha in psychedelic colours, and was calling me and Sims over.  
"Here's their retreat way, I bet some of the Daleks went that way when we called for them to come out."  
"Check for fingerprints. I hear Marc is here, I'll go talk to him."  
"Sure thing," Molly grinned.

As I went out to the main staircase hall, I was considering Molly's choice of words. She still referred to all kinds of scum as 'Daleks'. It has started as a joke upon Wu, an officer who wasn't with us anymore. During his short sojourn with us he had to live with the epithet Dr. Who, and now those Doc-jokes had now more or less become part of the regular lingo. It had become so much part of the day to day jargon that I hardly noticed it anymore. But for some reason it felt so strange this day. I don't know but everything around me felt so saturated, so overly real. Every colour grating at my eyes, like that Buddha in there, and every slang and idiom like it was written in high neon letters.

Was that because I had killed a man? Was that because my life had suddenly changed and I was not an passive observer anymore, but very much a soldier in this invisible war between whatever good and bad humanity was dealing with...?

Forget it, Addy! I ordered myself. I had to collect myself. Get my wits together or I was going to choke upon them. The boss was here now. And I had to go and talk to him. Marc probably already knew that I had shot Mr. Spikyhead down and now he wanted to hear from MY mouth what had happened. And then I couldn't be obsessed with a Buddha in neon...

0O0O0

"Aidra," Marc Harris said as I came down in the street where several police cars were parked, some with their strobes still flashing through the hot shadows of the narrow street. Behind plastic police tape I could see the many headed hydra that was labeled curious crowds. And there were colleagues everywhere, and then some arrested baddos being moved away. Some of them screaming and trashing about, others more docile, as if they were accepting their fate. As if they had actually seen it coming. Or just being drugged enough to not care.

"Marc?" I looked up and faced my boss. At seven feet tall he was one of the few persons who towered over even yours truly. And he was handsome in a rugged way that hinted at him being a real head-turning hunk back in his youth. Now there were salt in his dark hair and lines in his face which added wisdom to his tough appearance. He had a scar upon his left cheek and another on his chin, memories of old battles he had fought during his 58 years on this planet. And Marc sure had done everything. He had been one of those youths who weren't even 19 when he went to the Viet Nam war, lying about his age, and he had become a cop after returning home, after a roundabout in Europe where he had stood guard at the famous CheckPointCharlie when the Wall still divided Berlin. And then he had been doing almost everything in the police force from traffic to homicide, before ending up as the head over the SDE when the present NY major had declared war against drugs.

And what better man to lead a war than Marc Harris was the general assumption. He was like a police equivalent of Alexander the Great, said those who knew. And thus he was my boss. A man I held in deep respect and admiration.  
"I heard you had to take down a man. What happened up there?" His dark brown eyes unconsciously darting upwards the building I had just exited.

That was Marc in a nutshell, he never judged anyone before having heard his or hers side of the story. And he dived right to it, no shit chat. Then he always weighted even the smallest thing into the matter of the whole. Therefore I gave him my side of the story. Though my matters were everything but small. It was life and death matters! So I told Marc about how Mr. Spikeyhead had entered the staircase hall and the lethal gun he had carried and how he had threatened Molly and Rick. And how I had responded to that threat. Marc nodded slowly when I had stopped. I waited for him to say something and finally he did.

"What a mess, Aidra, what a mess." He never used my nickname. He never used any of those to be true. That was simply not his style.  
"Really? Well it was either him or my colleagues. And Binary." I added.  
"Binary?"  
"Molly's babe."  
"Oh, I see!" Marc rose a brow and for the first time he smiled. Molly's husband, also with the corps, was one of the geeks, the computer wizards over at the HQ, so I guessed that was how Binary had got his/her name.

"Well, Aidra, why I'm referring to this as a mess is because we have got the identity on the man you shot confirmed now."  
"And he was who?"  
"Clifford Nantes."  
"Who?"  
"The son of Uriel Nantes."  
"As in... you mean THE Uriel Nantes?"  
"Yes. Unfortunately yes."

"But he's an... US senator for crissake."  
"Yes he is. And you know what that may mean?"  
"But... Marc? What was he doing in a drug dealer's joint? With a machine gun?"  
"That is for the investigation to show. Still I have no doubts that this lad was filling out his 'regular income' with this little extra business. And when he felt that it was under threat he decided to defend it. No matter if it would mean that Binary and others' lives were in the line. You did the right thing, Aidra. Still..."  
"Then why..."  
"He was the son of a US senator, Aidra!"  
"Yeah but... he was doing drugs."  
"I know. And if he had been someone else, a nobody, no one would've cared. But this situation – it demands an investigation."

"Marc, there was very little else I could've done. Nothing in fact."  
"I know, Aidra. I know. But there are others who might not know, and who demand an explanation. So you will have to give it to them, colleague."  
"I..."  
"Be strong now! You're a great cop, and everyone who knows you knows that as well. But it's not them who matters in a case like this. Still I say no worry. Give your story to the investigators and know that I'll be backing you all the way along."  
"Thanks Marc!"  
"Now go back home and get some sleep, and I'll see you at the station tomorrow."  
"Aye aye shief" I smiled, showing false glee. Fact was that I felt nervous no matter what Marc had said. An investigation. The son of a senator! Uriel fucking Nantes!

0O0O0

"Uriel fucking Nantes!" my father bellowed. "That pussy!"  
"Mind your language, Abe!" my mother called from the kitchen.  
"Not that I'm surprised," Abe went on without bothering with mother's comment. "That jerk is one of those who believe he has some VIP corridor trough life, that normal rules do not apply to him or his closest associates. Including his goddam family! No wonder his sons are in the drug business."  
"So what do I do?"

"You just do as Marc Harris tells you to do, Aidra. Now, that's a great man, Marc Harris. I still remember him as a young lad, just back from 'Nam. He got decorated over there you know. Purple Heart. Got some of our guys out of a burnin' inferno. Did the impossible, they say. Still he never boasted about it. Never bragged. Just went in and did his thing. Listen to him, Aidra. He'll tell you what to say. And then there'll be no doubt that you did the right thing. Senator or not."

I nodded and sighed, as mother called for dinner. My father was always like this, believing everything either black or white, and one of the many admirers of Marc Harris. But life was more complicated than that, and I had just killed the son of a senator, I thought as I took up the remote and turned off the TV. No one was paying attention to it anyway.

My mother had told me I should go to the church and talk to father Westinghouse. However I couldn't see any reason why. I hadn't done anything really sinful. All right I had shot a man. But he had been a Dalek. It had in the end been either him or Marc, Molly and Binary. I saw no reason to doubt in my own conscience. It was the investigators' conclusions I feared. On top of that, I had come to feel more and more over the years that what they said in church was so far from the reality I faced every day. And no matter how much I liked the kind father Westinghouse, it was still the case that his preaching rang more and more untruthful to me. In my line of work one got to see so much that contradicted all those things taught in the Bible. There were no all-powerful and ultimately forgiving god. Or how could there then be things like murder, rapes, assaults and other pointless violence going on all around me. And who had protected all those who died when those maniacs flew their planes into the World Trade Center? And who had protected my fiancé Dave when that drunk driver had run over him and taken him away from this world and from me? Dave had been only 33 and the love of my life... what almighty god had cared about him?

For the umpteenth time I ordered myself to stop those negative trains of thought. I had tomorrow to deal with and I was going to need all my focus, all my strength. I couldn't give in to despair, or I'd never make it through the coming ordeal.

On the other hand – Marc was on my side. And he'd probably ask Molly and Rick to testify in my case too. Those were the people I could trust. Great officers both of them. Not only had I saved their lives there in the hall, they were both persons of great integrity and with a deep sense of justice as well. They knew that I had done the only thing I possibly could. It was going to be all right, I felt sure of it! It was going to be all right! I had just shot a Dalek...

0O0O0

Sleep failed me that night. As I lay awake in my bed and listened to the white noise of the air conditioner and the sounds of the city outside, I played over the event in the staircase hall over and over again. Wondering what if... What if I hadn't shot the guy. The senator's son. Then for sure two great police officers had been shot, and perhaps dead now. And a little unborn child might have been dead too. Without even getting the chance to live. But what if I had aimed for the legs, incapacitated the punk instead? Could I have done that? No, probably not, he might have fallen, but he could still have shot my colleagues.

I sighted and turned around in bed again, for what order I didn't know. But looking at the red figures of the alarm clock I saw that it was now well past three o' clock in the night. I had laid there brooding for more than four hours! I sighed and tossed again, came to regarding the ceiling which was going blue and then red and then blue again, coloured by the neon outside my window. Striped patterns made by the half-closed venetians. And crackles where the paint was breaking up, looking like meandering roads in a sci fi world.

I started to go over and go over again what I was going to tell the people doing the investigation. How to explain to them what had happened in that staircase hall. There was of course just the truth to tell, but then there were certainly a million ways to tell the truth. And I had to find the best of those ways.

0O0O0

"Good luck!"  
"Good luck, Aidra!"  
"Give them what you have, Addy!"  
"You did the right thing, Mandragore. You're the best!"  
"God bless you!"  
"Show them how a real cop shall behave!"

There were pats on my back and words of encouragements flying through the air as I rose from my desk and walked out of the office landscape, heading for the conference room where the hearings were about the begin. The hearings connecting to the investigation which had been initiated after the death of Clifford Nantes. My killing of Clifford Nantes.

I was warmed by all this support. Colleagues who rose and gave me smiles and signs of thumbs up, who told me I was going to do fine in there and similar things. Even those sour things working with administration were giving me their cheers as I passed by their desks. And I smiled back, still I felt the strained falseness of my smiles and the nerves which were doing funny things to my stomach. I hadn't been so nervous since I was 16 and was caught drunk on a school prom and driven home to my parents and had to answer to them why I had drunk all that booze and where I had got it.

Marc was leaning against the doorframe and he gave me another pat on my back, told me to go in there with head held high and just give them my story, nothing less, nothing more.  
"You're not coming with me?" I asked my superior, having hard to keep the distress and disappointment out of my voice.  
"No, Aidra, I cannot do that. I'll be called in later and then I'll give these guys my side of the story – and you my full support of course. Now show them your remarkable strength, you'll do fine, dear!"

Marc had never called me 'dear'. In fact he never used such endearments for the people he worked with, and thus it warmed me more than if anyone else had done it. And I felt a strange boost of strength coming from his broad hand as he a short moment on laid it for my shoulder. Thus I steeled myself and walked the ten steps through the corridor and up to the conference room where the investigators waited. And it sure felt like walking the death row whatever Marc had said.

0O0O0

There were three of them sitting behind the worn, beige painted table in the narrow little room, lit from above with harsh, bluish tube light. And I was asked to sit down on one of those uncomfortable chairs we used for baddos we were hearing. As I obeyed the man in the middle, I regarded the people opposite of me. One woman sitting to the right with a stern, unrelenting stone face and two men. The one in the middle was obviously their superior and he had bald or shaven head and face like a droid. No feelings whatsoever showed in those harsh, chiseled features. The man to the left had a fleeing bearded cheek and was doing his best to comb over a growing baldness. He looked like he found the situation utterly uncomfortable and his brown eyes were those of a dog who had received one kick too many.

"State your full name for the record" The man in the middle asked and typed something on his laptop, no doubt starting the recorder.  
"Aidra Felicia Mandragore."  
"Now, Aidra Felicia Mandragore, can you tell us with your own words what happened on Tuesday the 11th of August, 2010?"


	2. Badge Revoked

**Badge Revoked**

_The Japanese side tale in this chapter is more or less retrieved from historical records but the names have been changed for reasons appearing later in the story. The virtual reality equipment for shooting though does not exist for real – as far as I know._

I sure will not forget that day. Not even if I should live until the universe collapse upon itself in a reversed Big Bang. I sure will not forget that day when they took my badge away. That day when they stopped me from being a police officer, just because I was only doing what a police officer should do.

Marc called me in to his office that midmorning. He had a grim look upon his face and I knew immediately that it had gone all wrong. That I had blew it in that tiny room with the three investigators. Or rather – I had done fine, at least according to Marc. And he in turn had done all in his powers to save my sorry ass. He had emphasized his point to those investigators that what I had done was simply the duty of every American police officer. But the origin of the problem was not in that little room. It was not with me or with Marc. Or even with those people who had questioned me. The origin came from above. I hadn't just shot a drug dealing punk, I had shot the son of a senator. The son of Uriel Nantes. And for that my head was to be handed over on a plate. Or at least my badge. I was de facto kicked out from the corp. Just because I had done my job.

"Aidra," Marc begun and I looked up at him again. After being dealt the bad news my shoulders had slumped and my head had fallen and I had found myself staring at my nails as my troth dried up. Facing Marc I thought he was going to say he was sorry or something. But Marc had never been the man for clichés. Instead he rose and walked over to the locked cabinet to the side of his desk. There behind the glass rested a Japanese katana and a wakizashi in their ebony stand.

"The gentleman who made these blades was a famous blacksmith and sword-maker named Mitsura who lived during the early fifteenth century. He was a kind of master at his trade and very productive. A lot of swords were made by his skilled hands. Another set of swords like these were carried by a man named Takaki who was working for the feudal lord – daimyo - Amyada. A samurai, even if that title was not in use in that part of Japan back then. One day Takaki uncovered a plot against his master, a plot to assassinate Amyada and in his turn install his son in law, Yoshimura, as daimyo. Dutifully Takaki went off to warn his lord and was in consequence given the task to take a few trusted men with him to kill the would-be usurper and thwart the upheaval. What nor Amyada neither Takaki knew was that one of the men sent with Takaki was actually part of the plot. The traitor promised to open the doors for Takaki and his men, letting them in. But what he lead them into was nothing but a sinister trap.

Takaki's four followers were killed on spot but Takaki was left to live only because his enemies wanted information from him. Information about how Amyada could be defended, how to get into his castle. Takaki was held and tortured for five days but refused to say anything. At least as long as he was the only one being tormented. But on the third night his foes had found and taken his young wife and little son into captivity. And as Takaki watched the two persons he loved more than life itself were being brought into his view. Yoshimura, who lead the questioning, threatened to torture first the wife and then the six year old boy until Takaki told them what they want to know.

Takaki was never a weak man but at that time he caved in and gave Yoshimura all he needed to know. In return Yoshimura promised to let the wife and the son go. And in the end he let Takaki go too. Then the only thing left for Takaki to do was to hand over his family to his brother's house and then take his life, using the correspondent to this wakizashi here." Marc finished his story by opening up the cabinet and taking out the small blade and holding it in his hands. The sun caught the steel as he unsheathed the blade and sent a reflection almost in my eyes. I knew very little of weapon like that yet I could tell it was a masterpiece Marc had in his belonging.

"Horrible! Take his life? Why?"  
"Because he had betrayed his master."  
"But he... He couldn't face his wife and child being tortured. That's only natural, so why..."  
"Honor, Aidra."  
"Such a weird concept."  
"Yes. But no less weird than what happened to you, Aidra. Takaki did the right thing. And so did you. And both of you had to pay severely for it. Such is the crankiness of life."  
"What strange... is there really a God out there who makes things like this happen?"  
"If there is, that god must have a depraved mind," Marc said curtly and put back his blade. "I cannot say how much we'll miss having you aboard, Aidra Mandragore. I'm sorry. And good luck."

As he held out his hand I know our meeting was over and I took his large hand, fighting tears in my eyes as I rose.  
"Thanks Marc. Thanks for this year! I'm going to miss you guys too."

I left my badge and my gun at his desk, never looking at them again.

OOOOOO

"Such assholes" Molly blurted out as I told her, Rick, Melissa and Simon what had happened. "The shitheads! I just wanna go in there and kick their sorry private parts!"  
"There must be a way to appeal," Rick pondered as he sipped from his coffee mug. That was something I was not going to miss at least. The gray-brown poison which passed for coffee at the station.  
"How?" Molly asked.  
"A lawyer. Perhaps the union can do something..." Simon pondered.  
"The union!" I scoffed. "These morons can't even find their own asses to wipe them. Besides I'm not part of the union. Have never been. And when not even Marc..."

"Marc can't acquire everything!" Molly replied. "Al right he's a legend, but he's still a human being. Not some kind of god."  
"I've met quite a few people who seem to think that." Rick replied.  
"Then I sure would've wished that some of those people had manned the investigation board instead of those grafters I got to talk with last week."

Simon patted my shoulder:  
"You'll do fine, Addy! There's plenty a job out there in the security business for a former cop."  
"You say?"  
"Yeah. Addy, I know some free-lancers, I can talk to them, see if they know about some openings in their business."  
"Thanks, Sims! I appreciate..."

I looked away, once again tears burned beneath my lids. I so wanted to lash out and beat the shit out of someone, anyone. Mostly those assholes who had decided I had to go, to somehow pamper up for that shithead senator. Or why not Uriel Nantes himself. The bigass himself! If he had raised his kid properly none of this would have happened. And I would still have my job.

"We should go to the press," Molly suggested. "This is a really juicy piece of meat for anyone in the hyena pack out there. And when they start to chew into that crispy bite – Druggate ladies and gentlemen! And Mr. Nantes will be a goner. " Molly laughed and made a gesture mimicking horns on top of her head.  
"Mol... I'm sure it won't help me get my job back. After all I still shot that brat."  
"Yeah but – a senator who can't keep his brats off the drug market, and then bribes policemen to begin some kind of vendetta against a cop who was only doing her job, is that really the people we wish to see in office? I mean really Addy?"

"Go ahead. Call the reporters, call anyone you want," I sighed and looked my friend into those large deer eyes. And Molly laughed, looking even more like Whoppie Goldberg than usual. I suddenly felt so overly tired, as if nothing really mattered anymore.  
"I sure will, I'll go make some phone calls right after my shift is over. Trust me, darl', when the hyenas are done with Mr. Nantes he can kiss his fancy job good fucking bye."

While Molly went on plotting her scheme of revenge upon my honor I continued my packing, filled two cardboard boxes with my things and then Simon helped me carry them down to the waiting cab. At least there was no security men escorting me out, but then I had done nothing wrong. Not really. I had just managed to do my work at the very wrong place and time and become a victim of corruption. And most people in the corps knew that.

Just as I was about to enter the taxi, Marc came out of the back door and walked up to me.  
"Aidra," he said, "If there's anything ever you'll need – don't hesitate to call. If it's my power I promise to do anything I can to give you a hand."  
"Thanks, Marc. I appreciate it. But now I just want to go home and... well I don't know really. Dig down in my depression I think," The last was not said without gallows humor on my part, and Marc even smiled a bit.  
"Well, good luck with – whatever." He said hesitantly and we shook hands one last time before I went into my cab and it drove off, heading home with me and my boxes of stuff.

Now what would I tell my parents, I thought as I leaned back my head against the car seat and regarded the hustle and bustle of the downtown Manhattan traffic. The truth for sure, that I was not a cop anymore. But how to word it? Dad would be furious of course, and start to blame all and everyone. He would probably do exactly the same as Molly and call the press, and all hell and then some would break out.

OOOOOO

My brother Arthur had always described my flat as something out of a generic NY movie, and he sure had that right. I hadn't really tried to acquire that look, it had just 'happened' so to speak. The place was a two room flat in upper SoHo, a rental with a tiny kitchen and a bathroom with leaky pipes. One room was a cluttered combined bedroom and living room and the other I had turned into my 'dojo'. There was where I kept my treadmill and my punching bag. As well as those virtual reality equipment for shooting practice I was testing for work. Those I would have to return now, I was certain.

The VR equipment consisted of a helmet with a visor, a glove and a replica gun, all of them connected through blue tooth. The idea was that you put on the helmet, the glove and grabbed the replica gun, and then you ran the program for the helmet and it visualized a shooting range with target dummies and the replica gun became a 'real' gun within the programme. Thus you could practice shooting without needing a real gun, ammo and a shooting range. And no risk disturbing or upsetting any neighbor who might otherwise overhear some gun shots. In fact the programme didn't even simulating real gun shots inside the helmet, just quiet 'pop's, as if you used a silencer on the gun. Still it was good for practice and after my beginner's aversion I really liked the things, they made me feel like I was part of 'Minority Report' or something. Apparently Shooting Range Two would come with moving targets. Although I would never get to see that unfortunately.

Today I didn't utilized the VR tools though, I was too upset for that, and in need of something way more physical. So instead I put on my gloves and attacked the punching bag like mad, pretending that it was Uriel Nantes, Clifford Nantes and then the dickheads in the investigation board. And then starting over with Uriel again, in my mind beating his sorry face to pulp over and over again, until I was sweating so much that there were puddles on the floor. That took some of the anger away, even though I began to think that Molly's idea of going to the press was not so bad at all. Druggate indeed! Let the man eat shit!

OOOOOO

Two days later the proverbial shit hit the fan for senator Uriel Nantes. It was not without glee I watched the newscast, still with Molly in the ear, telling me almost the same as was being said on TV. The solemn looking young woman in TV-red suit and blonded hair was telling the confirmed fact that the dead son of senator Nantes had in fact been caught in an operation against drugs. She went on with the information that Clifford Nantes had threatened two police officers with a machine gun, and thus became shot down by the third, the officer who now had got fired from her work.

Within hours the news appeared on the TV, on the radio, in the papers and on the net. Now Uriel Nantes had to face the gauntlet. As a matter of fact his job seemed very much to be at stake now. However, that didn't help my case at all and I had to admit that I never had thought it would either. It was just a sweet revenge which started to taste foul after a few days, like when you have eaten too many candies. And when the first jolt of satisfaction and malice had died down I felt even more depressed than earlier.

Then the press found me and started to phone, asking for opinion and interviews. At that time I felt that most of the rage had left me so after two or three calls I began to say 'no comment' to every one of these callers. So in the end they gave up and started chasing someone else. Then, between the press calls, Melissa managed to get through with some station gossip, mostly to cheer me up. I learned that Molly had been transferred to desk work for the rest of her pregnancy and that Catherine Glockmann and Kevin Phillips had been assigned as SDE operatives after my demise. Well, bully for them...

So now what...? I was supposed to go out looking for job, right? My parents kept on asking me to come over for dinner more than twice a day, but I was too low to stand up and facing my father's anger, even if I know it wasn't directed at me and that some of his spite had been slaked by the knowledge that senator Nantes was now out there getting his ass thoroughly wiped. Instead I found myself gorging Ben & Jerry ice cream and watching TV, letting depression eat at me. Just like last time, after Dave's death. How much is a girl supposed to take from life I wondered. Before turning fat because of trying to eat herself into comfort?

There was this band on MTV – Solinvictus. Darn, they were good. And they had a lead singer made for girls to ogle over. Paul Oliver had flaring blond hair and a body like a Greek marble statue, tanned and well built, with that kind of six pack you only saw in superhero magazines otherwise. And every time they came on I felt that tiny sparkle within me and I found myself glued to the set, watching the video and especially Paul Oliver, making up dirty little fantasies within my mind. Then I felt ashamed over myself. Dirty old lady! I was 38 and what could Paul Oliver be? Hardly 25. Besides he was probably already taken – by some bikini model with perfect body as well. And not an inch of fat on her golden body, I thought sarcastically and glanced over at the empty ice cream package on the table where my feet were propped up, wearing pink and yellow socks where one big toe was peeking out from a hole. On the other hand a girl have the right to eyeball and to dream, right? It hurt no one, and that was probably the point as well. Display young Paul and you'll start selling records and downloads like mad! I was quite sure Solinvictus would be worldwide before the year was over. Their hits 'Happy Day' and 'Baby in the Window' was already heard all over, not just on TV.

_You look at me girl and you shine  
Makes it easy to make you mine  
Silent but your eyes speaks a world  
There are words longing to be heard  
Here I say, here's my hand  
Let's walk to the promised land_

_It's a happy day  
A truly happy day  
Happy happy day  
Happy happy happy day_

That's what he sang, Paul Oliver, looking at me through the TV-set, as if it was me he was flirting with, flashing those sky blue eyes. A fata morgana I know, still it was easy to pretend, during those short 3.5 minutes that he was singing just for me. A nice escapism.

OOOOOO

On the fourth day I decided to get a grip on myself. Hanging in my flat and watching Solinvictus on TV wouldn't do. Time to start my life again! At least somehow. Hauling myself out of bed I decided to at least go out running. The usual loop down Battery Park, before I forgot the colours of that pair of shoes. Hopefully the adrenalin rush would kick start my brain at least, giving me some ideas about what to do with the rest of my life.

As I started down the street towards the waterfront four blocks away I noted that they were still writing about Senator Nantes in the news. I stopped by a kiosk and red a bit on the front covers. In one paper Uriel Nantes declared that he was not going to resign because of this 'campaign of gossip' and in another there was a poll where a clear majority of the voters demanded that the senator should leave office. But it was clear that the story was dying down, since there was no more fuel to fire the flames with anymore. Some old university acquaintance telling that Clifford Nantes had been dealing with drugs already back then and an overeager reporter who had dug up all cases where a policeman had killed a citizen, criminal or not. As if anyone really cared... Uriel Nantes was yesterday's news, and it made me more or less glad. It meant that I would probably not having to receive any phone calls from reporters anymore. I felt the need to put this crap behind me now and get over it.

I went on running, passed the Jewish little deli that was expanding, leaving building trash all over the sidewalk. The owner waving cheeringly at me and why not, I had bought all their ice cream stock. Then I passed a construction where some workers were shouting compliments over my rear end. Fifteen years ago I would've given them the finger, these day I was actually flattered. I still had an ass that made men bother! Some more frequently running and I would be able to keep it as well.

Then there was one more block and after that I was down in the park. Here there were less people and bikes around and I could speed up my steps. Damn! The adrenaline started to kick in and it made me feel good. Just like in that song I hadn't heard in ages. Bobby Brown? There were other joggers out and we nodded politely at each other. And just as I rounded the statue of the satyr and started heading home wet rain drops started to fall, and it actually felt nice. Those last days had been hot and dry and a change in the weather was just what we could need now. Running with the rain in my face sort of woke up some hidden well of strength inside me and I sped up quite a bit. _Oh – I feel good! I feel good!_ My feat seemed to chant.

OOOOOO

I had hardly opened my front door when the phone started to ring. As I picked up there was a man with a foreign lilt on the other side:  
"Aidra Mandragore?"  
"Speaking."  
"I got your name from a personal friend. Simon McKeever. He said you were interesting in running some Free Lance jobs."  
"Well that depends..."  
"We pay well, I assure."  
"Eh, first of all, who am I talking to?"  
"You know Simon, right?"  
"Yes – but not you, Mr."

Then he caved in:  
"Guiseppe Estranelli. I work for a company called Scimitar. We're not exactly hiring at the moment but we're looking for – well a consultant. Someone who may jump in on temporary works. Someone who is good, adaptable and discreet. Simon mentioned your name, and from what I've heard about you, miss Mandragore you are very capable."  
"So what is the deal?"  
"At the moment we need a – let's call it a bodyguard for a – well, a semi-celeb. A fashion designer. Do the name Judith Brummer ring a bell?"  
"Judith and Claire?"  
"Correct. Can I interest you into coming into our office tomorrow so I may fill you in on the details. If we strike a deal you may start more or less immediately filling in for a guy who quit as late as yesterday."

It sounded almost too good to be true. A job – if only temporary – after just four days of unemployment. Too good to be true usually meant not true. But then again what did I have to lose save for perhaps two hours of my life talking to those Scimitar people? And I might learn something as well. I decided to accept this meeting with the Scimitar and I told this Estranelli guy so. In return I was given an address and Estranelli and I agreed upon a time.

"It's not me you'll meet though, I'll be my partner Katherine Night." Estranelli informed me before the usual welcome phrase and then we had finished our conversation and hung up.

Interesting, I thought. I didn't know that much about the fashion business but I've come across Judith Brummer's name on some occasions, mostly read about her in my sister in law's ladies magazines. I also remembered that the price tags on her outfits were about ten times what a police officer could afford. Not to mention I didn't have the body for those clothes. I was no model 6 or even 8. Not that I was fat, but all that exercise had left me with broad shoulders and a lot of muscles. And then there were luckily a cleavage up front saving me from looking like a tomboy. So no Judith Brummer clothes for Aidra Mandragore unfortunately. Because they were cool. On the other hand working for that lady would sure be something to write home about!


	3. Kathy

**Kathy**

"I'm Katherine Night, nice to meet you miss Mandragore!" The elegant woman on the other side of the desk rose and took my hand. Although she looked stylish and sophisticated I couldn't avoid noticing that she was a field player. She had just that attentive look upon her face and that well trained body which showed that she didn't make her living behind this mahogany desk. Neither did she waste time upon unnecessary chatter. The 'job interview' or perhaps I should call it the 'buyers research' took only some fifteen minutes, I got the feeling that she had checked both with this Estranelli and with Simon who I was and if I was up to the job. So she just shot me some random enquiries about my earlier carrer and how good I was with the gun, behind the wheel and with computers. Then she told me I was hired and that she wanted me at a lower Manhattan address at nine sharp tomorrow. Fast moves!

I made sure to be there in good time the next day. The address was a generic high rise which had seen better days even if the disrepair wasn't notable. The taxi driver rose a surprised brow. 'Fashion district' he said when I paid him. (I had to stop riding cabs, it was getting expensive.) He looked amazed, as if wondering what a lass like me did in such quarters. I didn't give him the benefit of an explanation though. Instead I jumped out and took cover beneath a baldachin against the persisting rain. And soon enough Katherine Night turned up, she was riding a vintage and very well kept Harley Davidson, the crome and the red laquer shining in the ambient light of the overcast day. Very daring, I knew how often these bikes got stolen. As Katherine stepped off and removed her black helmet I complimented her on her ride. She smiled and shrugged:  
"Much better than a car in this city. I hate Manhattan Traffic. It's like quicksand! Let's go inside, it's always good to be early, I must warn you that Judith Brummer is a very demanding lady."  
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

We entered the building and took a fast-going elevator up to floor 28. Katherine told me the pass code I needed to be able to get to that floor and I memorized it. As the elevator stopped the brushed metal doors opened up into a large and spacious entrance with a reception where two young women were receiving visitors and talking on the phone. It all screamed trendy and hot and I felt so out of place in my black jeans and ditto hoodie. But Katherine wore comfy clothes too, clothes that bulged in certain places, revealing to me that she carried more than one gun and I was glad I'd taken mine. After all Katherine had said nothing about arms so I just had to guess and use common sense.

Judith Brummer received us shortly after Katherine's short report with the receptionist and she led us into an elegant office where we soon had gone through the mandatory hand-shakes and welcoming phrases:  
"So you're the new one," Judith Brummer said and looked me up and down. "I hope you're as good as they say."  
"I don't know who 'they' are in this case," I replied ", so I don't know what they might've said about me. But I hope they are right, and I'll try to live up to what they have promised."  
"Good. The other guy quit because I was too difficult. In areas he didn't expect. After all I need my bodyguards to follow me and to blend in not only down at work but at showcases as well, and then, miss Mandragore, jeans and a hoodie wouldn't do. No matter if they are 'label' stuff."  
"Sorry miss Brummer but I was a police officer up until very recently. I can't afford any labels on my outfits."

"Well then I'll see what I can do about that. There's some leftovers from last year's collection that you can use. And have for free if you turn out good. I'll just have to make sure they fit with someone – ehrm, your size. No offence Mrs. but you aren't exactly a catwalk model."  
"None taken, after all I love my Ben and Jerry too much to even try to apply for such an occupation."

At those words I heard a strange sound from Katherine, and as my eyes darted I noted that she was strangling a laughter. Judith Brummer didn't seem to notice though. Instead she begun to explain this and that about her working days, she usually started work as early as eight in the mornings (eurghh) and she habitually begun in the office followed by a short trip to the factory or the shop at Fifth Ave. After that lunch, then more hours in the office or factory and some customer's visitations from time to time. Finally there was usually some event in the evening she was going to participate in. Judith Brummer was aiming for celeb status and thus she had a need to be seen, and she was very frank about that. Thus the days could be pretty long, and Katherine and I were supposed to split them, save for the evening events when both of us were expected to follow her.

"Any questions?" she finished her brief.  
"Yes one," I replied. "Pardon me but you have not yet told why you are in need of a new bodyguard. If I know what to know what to look out for I'll be able to protect you better."  
"Didn't Katherine tell you that?"  
"No," I admitted.  
"I wanted to see if Aidra would ask that question herself," Katherine explained. "Just a test of professionalism." I felt my nostrils widen as I glanced over at the other bodyguard, but I bit back my annoyance. This was definitely the wrong place for that.

"Well then," Judith Brummer said and folded her perfectly manicured hands. "It's my ex-husband. And he's not just the average jealous old bloke, he's with this strange religious organization. A sect I was a part of for a short while, but decided to leave since – well since it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. To put it mildly. My defection didn't go down well with neither my ex nor with his superiors in the organization. They had plans for me, you see."  
"What – plans?"  
"To cut a long and quite insane story short the leaders of the sect had decided that I had what they called 'good genes'. And they wanted me to give a child to my ex-husband, and in consequence to the sect. I was to become something like a breeding cow. One of many, there were women there who were already pregnant with 'selected children'. Children supposed to be raised as soldiers in their holy war. That was nothing I wanted to be a part of. So I quit and divorced Brandon. Well, that's the name of my ex. And now he's looking for me, since he sees it as his mission to bring me back to the sect and to my 'duty'."  
"Why, if you are divorced, can't he..."  
"He believes our relation is destined. Written in heaven. Or his version of heaven at least. He doesn't recognize our divorce, he still consider us married. And he wants to abduct me to their head quarter so that he can impregnate me."

I nodded. Another fanatic. Actually, those people were nothing new to me. After all this country is full of cults, sects and other strange organizations. Most of them are harmless enough, obsessed with cornfield circles, aliens, arcane deities, magic or obscure parts of the Bible or some other holy book. But there are a handful which are really spooky and a few of them which are actually dangerous, and this cult Judith Brummer was reffering to seemed to be one of these.

"May I ask the name of that cult your ex-husband is with?"  
"Yes, they call themselves 'The order of the Neotitans.' Has something to do with Greek Mythology, but I have never really understood it. I'm not exactly a book person and my knowledge of Greek mythology can be summed up with that movie with Brad Pit in. "  
"Troy."  
"Yeah that was it. But it doesn't seem to correspond at all with what Brandon is into. He is talking about the coming of a new Kronos and a new Titanic era. Yeah, Titanic as in that boat which sunk. It might sound like insane gobbledygook to you, but I assure these guys are serious. And scary."  
"I believe you," I replied. "As a former cop I've seen a lot along that line. Do you happen to have a picture of Brandon, Mrs. Brummer?"

Judith Brummer seemed to hesitate, then she pulled down a desk drawer, reached inside and rummaged around a bit before pulling out a picture and handing it over to me. I looked it over, it showed a balding man in his early forties, steely but kind, gray eyes looking back at me behind expensive-looking spectacles. The only remarkable being a mole just beneath his right eye and a Clark Gable mustache. Which might as well be gone now, so I pictured his features without that one as well. As I memorized these features the designer told me to call her Judith.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Thus started my work for Judith Brummer of Judith and Claire. Now a whole new world opened up for me. The world of fashion and design. The world where clothes weren't just something to wear but an art form in itself. I got to meet a lot of different new people, who all shared the same thing – the involvement in haute couture and fashion. There were the long and slender catwalk models who made me feel like Miss Hulk and there were the sewers, not all of them gay men in long scarves, as the cliché went, the photographers, the makeup artists, the shop owners and the journalists. There were a lot of foreigners involved in this world and I regretted not learning a second language in school. Judith spoke fluently French and some Spanish and Italian as well. I spent days and days together with her, and she turned very friendly after the first days of more reserved behaviour. When there was time she explained how it all worked from drawing pulpit to finished product. She told me the difference between show collections and rack products, the idea with showing spring clothes in the fall and the other way around and how trends came and went faster than warp speed. And the reason for sprouting out tweets like a machine-gun sprouted out bullets. Or the almost violent tries at get inside certain high-profiled fashion magazines – and prefferably on the front side of them. I also got to meet Judith's companion Claire, who appeared ice cold, but my trained cop's eye noted that her façade came from insecurity rather than snobbism.

Not to mention how well got to know Katherine – or Kathy as she preferred to be called. We usually ended up spending long hours doing really nothing at those celeb events Judith went to. Because body guards never mingled, they just 'stood there' like wall flowers and scanned the surroundings. Me and Kathy looking for Mr. cult Brandon Brummer, without seeing him. So we started talking instead. Kathy told that she had founded Scimitar together with some friends, some former cops, others – like Kathy herself – with a military past.

"I was with the Dessert Storm," Kathy told. "When I got home and left the army I was thinking of becoming a cop, but then I realized that there were more money to be made as a private. I started with a company called 'The Vigilantes' who mostly guarded money transports. That's where I learned to ride the bike. Then I was recruited as a protector of the rapper YoYo."  
"The one who got shot and killed?"  
"Wasn't on my shift," Kathy flashed off a tilted smile. "He was a jerk, but he paid well. It was his wife who hired the assassin, he beat her up. But perhaps you know that already."  
"No, I wasn't on the case. Have never been on homicide, have done mostly narcotics."  
"That sounds thrilling. Tell me about it!"

We began like that. Talking shop. Then it became more and more private. I told how I had lost my job and she told about her former boyfriend who was - with her own words 'complicated'.  
"Aren't all men?"  
"Yeah but he more than others. A soldier. Violent and brutal out on the field, but oh – so tender private. And quite over protective. He never liked it when I took risks, when I ventured into worlds he didn't know. Oh, he was such a control freak. And the strangest thing - at first sight he appeared like nothing more than a tougher and more blood thirsty Sylvester Stallone, but when you got to know him, you learned that the boy had brains as well. He was – really smart!"  
"Did you meet him in the army?"  
"Yeah, but he's a policeman now." Then it seemed like Kathy was biting back word and I sort of got the feeling that she didn't want to tell anything more about his work. Perhaps it had to do with me being a cop earlier, but I couldn't figure out the motive. So I left the subject, although I learned that his first name was Marc. Now, the world might be small, but the way Kathy described him hinted at a man a bit younger than my former boss."

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

During these first weeks there was no sign of Brandon and I was beginning to think that he had given up his hunt. In any case I spent some time researching these Neotitans and the 'Coming of the Second Kronos.' However it wasn't really that much to learn. They seemed to be a very secretive organization, there was no website, no nothing. Just a few hints in minor news articles. Something about a disappeared teenager about a year back and another article about new heathen groups. I spent some minutes reading about this Leila, who before her disappearance had written a in a diary about a guy, who was with an organization called 'The order of the Neotitans'. There was a name of a policeman mentioned in the article as well, and some research put me in contact with him, but he had very little to tell. Actually he appeared as if he had forgotten most of the case.

"Was this Leila ever found again? Or her body?"  
"No, never. The case is still open, I believe, but no one's working on it. The general assumption is that she fell in the river and drowned and then was taken by the tides."  
"So no one ever learned anything about these Neotitans?"  
"No, apparently that was something the girl had made up. Some kind of role play or something, what do I know. Her parents said she was into role playing if I remember correctly. Now you'll have to excuse me miss..."

That was it. A dead end. I realized that I was not really getting anywhere with the cult angle. Kathy knew very little about the Neotitans as well, she told me she had done almost the same research as I and came up with nothing. She and I would just have to wait and see if the ex-husband would show up. In the meantime I learned everything there was about Judith's business and kept myself in shape with running and boxing. I also took up karate and kendo again. The shooting had been more or less put on low priority after having returned the VR equipment, beside some training I did together with Kathy on a communal range. Thus passed two months, summer turned into fall and Judith and Claire presented their spring collection on the NY Fashion weeks. And Kathy and I were there, wall flowers looking at catwalk models and I started to wonder if this job would ever get more exciting...

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Don't wish too hard for something or you might get it, they say. In my case it became true around mid-October. We were at this premiere of a new Broadway musical where Judith & Claire had been involved in the making of the costumes. It was one of these "Mamma Mia" musicals, this time based upon the songs of Shakira, an artist who had been popular around the turn of the millennium, and who I remembered being quite good. Unfortunately the musical was dull and the directors had turned Shakira's songs into the dullest of musical renditions, edge-less easy-listening versions. So I was glad I didn't have to suffer through more than about half of the play. When the curtain had fallen and the ovations were done with, there were more champagne and snacks in the foyers and Kathy and I were posted at our usual look-out.

These events were so dreary, it was all about people who wanted to be seen and heard and remembered and who were flaunting their expensive dresses and hairdos. Everyone past 25 seemed to have done at least one face job or filled their lines with Botox and everyone were smiling, smiling, smiling although very few smiled ever reached their eyes. If that was because of Botox or boredom was more than I knew though. It was The American Dream turned into a nightmare. And that nightmare consisted of cloned faces and moves and on top of that this faceless music which made me suspect that if Shakira had heard it she would be crying. Because she didn't seem to be around, at least the few I asked hadn't seen her.

It was I who spotted him first. Just in the corner of my eyes. Not Brandon but a young man, perhaps nothing more than twenty, who was acting strangely and definitely didn't seem to belong. I tapped Kathy gently on top of her left arm and indicated the man with my eyes. And she saw him too rather fast.  
"It's him!"  
"Who?"  
"I've seen him before. He was inside the Judith & Claire once but never bought anything. Just walked around and seemed to eye Judith and Isabelle. And when Isabelle walked up and asked if she could help he left without a word."  
"Doesn't hardly seem like a label outfit man. Or with a girlfriend who is." I replied and regarded the youth dressed in all white, linen pants and a long, kaftan-like shirt.  
"No, and I think I've seen him yet another time, once outside the tailor studio. But I wasn't sure it was him. But now, there's no doubt. And while twice might be a coincidence, three certainly ain't. Go talk to Judith, I'll keep an eye on him."

I nodded and started to move counter-clockwise around the milling crowd, exercising my newly acquired skill of moving swiftly without bumping into a single soul and thus almost pass unnoticed. It was like a dance – the dance of the bodyguard, the dance of the invisible woman. Now Shakira's music had been traded in for a muzak version of Jackson 5's 'Blame it on the Boogie', and for some reason that made me cringe, almost losing my step.

Soon I was over where where Judith was standing while talking to one of the actors and two more or less familiar faces. As agreed during circumstances like this I made eye contact with my employer, who understood that I meant business and excused herself, extracted her from the mingle and came up to me with a risen brow.  
"There's a stranger here," I informed. "Kathy and are suspecting that's he's a bit – well, dubious."  
"Brandon?"  
"No, a lad in his twenties. In a strange, white outfit. Kaftan-like."

"White?" said Judith and her face took the same colour beneath the carefully applied make-up. I confirmed with a nod and she went on: "It's – one of them!"  
"Are you sure? He was in the shop the other day, Kathy told."  
"It's..." Judith staggered something. Then she started over: "A disciple of Porhpyrion."  
"Who?"  
"From the cult!"  
"Then I suggest we better leave," I replied and started looking around for Kathy. And as soon as I spotted her I beckoned her over with a nod of my head.

"We're out of here," I said as soon as she reached us. "This guy is with the cult." The next thing we started down the half-ellipse of the staircase and across the lower foyer, where some people were still sampling from the buffet. We were almost halfway across the elegant foyer when there suddenly was someone who laid an arm upon Kathy and pulled at her with a:  
"Move away, lady!"

Another of those white dressed men! As my colleague tried to get the man off herself, the original oddball suddenly appeared in front of us, cutting off our exit. And he was not alone, there was a woman with him as well, and she too was wearing all white, including a silken face mask. I posed myself between those people and Judith, tried to protect her as I glanced over at Kathy.  
"Isn't it better you cooperate, Nova?" the young woman said. "You can't hide forever, and you know what's at stake!"  
"Get out of her way, I hissed and tried to pass with my employer behind me. I was thinking over our situation fast. The youths were between us and the main doors, it seemed impossible to get pass them but there was a wardrobe to the left, and those always had a second exit. And almost certainly a connection with a staff door out of the building. I made a turn and grabbed Judith:  
"This way!"  
"Nova! The Olympians are rising!" someone was calling out.

I pushed Judith ahead of me when something suddenly exploded around me.  
"Aidra!" I heard Kathy call out at the same time. "It's a... down!" In response to the sudden danger I threw Judith in front of me, and managed to push her inside the desk of the wardrobe.  
"Judith! There's another door. Get down! Get out! Get a cab! Go home!" I found it hard to force my words through my mouth, it was almost as if the oxygen was being denied me.  
"Aidra!" Kathy's voice.

White and pink flares were dancing around me as if I was in the middle of a firework and I could hear people everywhere call out in fear and exasperation, things going crash and bam, the Jackson 5 aberration had stopped playing. Kathy kept calling out my name, sounding anxious. The same instant I slammed into the same desk as the one I had pushed Judith behind and I felt my legs give way and the air fly out of my lungs. The next second everything became dark.


	4. Outlandish drug

**Outlandish drug**

_The Hecatoncheires were allies to the Olympians in the Titan War. They were said to have hundred hands each – something which I found easy to adapt into a multi-talented person – one of these were Cyges, who appears in this chapter. _

When I came to again, I was lying down in a sofa in the back end of the foyer and there were people all around me. Strangers. None of the white clad could be seen anymore, neither did Kathy appear to be around. But there was a man with blurry face in front of me.  
"Aidra? You okay?" his concerned baritone was heard.

I tried to focus. His voice and Brittish accent were familiar. Yes, it was this guy Guiseppe Estranelli who's phone call had set all this in motion. I had met him now and then during the months I've been with the Scimitar, but since he was working on another case we didn't see each other that often. I blurted out his name and felt how my head hurt in a burning kind of way.  
"Kathy had to go home with Judith, but she'll be back with you as soon as possible."  
"Guiseppe – what happened?"  
"I don't know. But Kathy told me that you're supposed to lie down and not move until she comes back. Which she'll do as soon as possible, she promised. As soon as Judith was home safe. She said it was imperative you didn't move a lot."  
"Why?" I coughed. It still felt hard to breathe and black blots were swimming in front of my eyes. There was an odd sensation of dryness in the back of my troth, as if someone had put down a woolen rag there and my mind was swaying.  
"She didn't say." Guiseppe seemed to come somewhat from afar, as if there was an echo in my head.

"What... where's the white guys?"  
"What white guys?"  
"Those who... Guiseppe, have I been shot?"  
"No, but..."  
"Then what...? Why aren't there any police around?"  
"I don't know! Kathy called me, said to go get you, to make sure you were all right. There was no police around when I came at least. Just this man who told me to take care of you."  
"What man?" I sure didn't understand a thing. What had happened?  
"Someone with the theatre personnel I guess. Kathy told him to check on you."

I tried to rise but Guiseppe pushed me back in the sofa again. Firm but gentle.  
"I promised Kathy."  
"Please... I need water. And to call..."  
"You need nothing now but rest, trust me. Kathy said..."  
"Guiseppe, Kathy doesn't know, Okay I don't exactly feel fine but someone need to call the police. And I need a doc, an ambulance! I'm... I'm... I have hard to focus my eyes. And – something – hit me when I got Judith away from those pople who were threatening her." I looked at the people around me, now I saw that they were milling out through the large glass doors and there were personnel telling that the place was closing. But where the heck was the police? They should be here by now, but I didn't even hear sirens. Once more I tried to rise and once more Guiseppe pushed me back in the sofa. It was then my temper ran over.

"Guiseppe get the heck off me! Judith was almost – whatever those guys intended to do with her. Mayhap that Kathy is taking her home now, but I need to call the police, we need to find those white dressed ones again. They hit me with some kind of stun weapon and I need a doctor."  
"Kathy told me you'd be alright if you just laid down until she was back. Please, Aidra! Is for your own good."  
"Ah Guis... If you call the police, that's the condition."  
"Aidra..."

"No police!" I heard someone snap behind me. Kathy? Had she already taken Judith home? And gotten back here? How long had I been out really?  
"Kathy, what do you mean? Why no police?" I turned around, and met the worried brown eyes of my friend and colleague.

"This is far more serious. There will be – well others here soon. But we need to fix you up first, lass. You've been hit by an... How should I say it, you've been hit by – actually, let's call it a secret weapon for now."  
"Which means?" Kathy seemed to hesitate and turned around, making sure no one was listening, and I understood less and less. Kathy turned back and faced me. "Yes, your pupils are dilated. Look at me, Aidra, what do you see?"  
"You – well Katherine Night, of course, why?"  
"You see no halo around me? No aura?"  
"No, I just see – well you. And some black spots swimming around my sight, but they are fewer now than before. And the room don't heave anymore."  
"Then it's worse than I thought. Guiseppe, give me it!"

"You can't mean?" The tall, dark-haired man said.  
"Yes I do!" Kathy said with stress upon every world.  
"I mean here and now. Around all those people?"  
"Do you rather see she dies? Here and now? Around all those people?"

"I..."  
"Then. Gimme!"  
"Hey hey, hold it!" I urged, suddenly with an icy feel down my spine. "Are you saying – that this – That it's killing me?"  
"Aidra, I'd rather tell you later. But here's the antidote."

By those words Kathy opened up a little golden box she was suddenly holding. The gold and the gemstones upon it seemed to shine with a hazy blur as if being filmed by a camera out of focus. And with a little pincher, golden as well, Kathy took out something which looked like a cupper nugget but which was smoking as if steaming hot.  
"Aidra," she said. "Open your mouth!"  
"Hey? Am I gonna..."  
"Eat this. Yeah. No fuzz now, we have very little time!"

I don't know why I trusted Kathy, perhaps I thought that this all being a strange dream and that I would wake up in a hospital surgery soon with a bandaged wound in my chest and a bottle of drip over my head, and wired to a vein. Thus I reached out with my hand and told Kathy that I'd rather plucked it into my mouth myself. Kathy just winked her brows and handed me the pincher with the cupper nugget. Playing along in this strange dream, I ate the thing. Whatever it was, and if it would work I didn't know. In any case I had decided that this experience was just some kind of side effect to whatever drug the docs had been giving me in the hospital I no doubt was in now. And the surreal and scary things Kathy was saying was just part of the same hallucinations.

The nugget tasted muggy, a bit like soy mixed with coconut milk and salt and had a tofu-like texture that sort of grew in my mouth, so I swallowed it fast to get rid of the nauseous feeling. It tasted and felt so artificial, as if it was neither vegetable nor animal.  
"Where did you get that stuff?" I asked. "NASA?"  
"No, this is from a more obscure, far away origin. Come, Aidra, try to rise, we need to get you out of here!"

As Kathy said that I looked around in the foyer, it was almost empty now, only a group of theatre personnel staring at us as if we were monkeys on the loose from the zoo. There was also a tall, bulky man who stood with his back toward us. He was dressed in a long, brown and slightly worn leather coat and with raven black hair worn in a ponytail. As I regarded him, I found that he radiated something dangerous, almost lethal. Even if he stood at ease, I could tell that he was the kind of man who would be alert to any hazard within a fraction of a second, and act upon that with a killer instinct. I didn't see a single weapon but something told me he carried several. Shotguns as well as knifes. There was something familiar over him as well, but I couldn't figure out what at the moment.

Struggling to sit up and then rise, I asked Kathy:  
"What happened really?" I cast a wary look at the man in black leather and felt Kathy take me under my arm and telling me:  
"I will explain everything later. Foremost we have to get you back to my place. You might need more of that – well antidote. After that we need to talk. A lot. There are things you have to know. About us as well as about the Neotitans. And it's quite a bit to digest."  
"What?"  
"I'll get to that. But first thing first."  
"Which is?"  
"Getting us out of here." Guiseppe urged. "The hypnosis won't work much longer. I'm already developing a headache."

"What – Hypnosis?" I asked as I finally stood up.  
"I'll get to that – too." Kathy said and then she and Guiseppe started to lead me out of the theatre and into a rainy New York night. The tall, brawny man in leather followed behind us. I had dubbed him Mr. Dangerous for the time being. For some reason, if it was a play of shadows and darkness, it was impossible to make out his face. I wondered a bit about that, but not so much since I suddenly began to feel very light-headed, as if I was stoned or something. What kind of outlandish drug had they given to me? Antidote? What kind of antidote and against what? Or was I still dreaming stuff?  
"Kathy, what the hell?"  
"I wish hell was a solution," Kathy replied with a snort. "Would be much easier. But then the Christians were never that keen on complicated equations."

I had no idea about what my colleague was talking about but I let her help me inside a waiting cab and then entering next to me. Guiseppe had already got in from the other side and Mr. Dangerous was making himself comfortable in the passenger side up front. Kathy gave the driver an address and the car started moving, the multi coloured lights of the city dancing across our faces. Then I must have dozed off, even if I wasn't aware of it, because my next conscious memory was about me lying on another sofa in a semi-dark room, and I could hear voices coming through an open door to a much brighter hallway. Exaggerated voices, partly in English and partly in a foreign language sounding vaugely European. Soft with hard pinches.

"...Damn it Fofs, she could have died in there..." Kathy was saying. Then more in that language mixed with words like Broadway, Taxi, Twitter and Neotitans. Then there was a male mumbling something in that foreign language again. He had a very deep and vivacious voice and he sounded almost as angered and Kathy. She snapped back in English:  
"Now don't you give me that 'duty' and 'responsibility shit again! I knew well what I did, and this girl knew nothing. She was in it for the bucks. To make a living. She shouldn't have to pay the price because you guys misjudged the situation so miserable."

The man cut her off with more foreign words and Guiseppe was saying something as well. I guessed that the third person – Fofs? – was Mr. Dangerous. The one who had 'hypnotized' the personnel in the foyer if I had understood correctly what had been going on. 'Hypnotized' with a gun if I dared a guess where I laid feeling sick and week. What were these people really, what had I gotten involved in? They appeared almost as dangerous than those Neotitans.  
"The shit in the tart are us I will!" Kathy replied. "And I speak English how much I want. You know, that's what we do here. This is New York in case you haven't noticed. And not Athens or Osaka or something."

I tried to sit up but it had started to hurt in my stomach. Hurt so bad that I slumped back in the sofa again and made a face.  
"Kathy?" but my tone was so weak it didn't carry over those upset voices who were arguing in that foreign language again, only some names and familiar words slipping through. I even thought they were saying "Harris" more than once. As in my old boss? I glanced around, Kathy's apartment seemed large and more luxurious than I had expected. I didn't think you could earn that much money as a bodyguard, but then Kathy might as well have some other income source. The room I rested in was large and it had the most magnificent view over Manhattan, we must be way up in some skyscraper. But my feeling of bemusement was cut of when there was a new surge of pain in my mid-section, almost if someone had stabbed me with a knife.  
"Kathy?" I called out a bit louder.

"Yes, I'm going to tell her everything. It is the most honorable thing to do. Yeah you go ahead and call your dad how much you want, Fofs! I'm not the slightest worried about what he might have to say. Shut up, Gyges! I know what you think but this is neither the right place or time to involve the Court of Twelve. We were trusted to do this on our own, and I say we do it too. And that goes for your daddy too Fofs!"  
"Kathy!"  
"What?" Finally a reaction from out there.  
"Kathy I... I'm going to need a doctor. And I'm going to need it now!"

The pain had become unbearable now and as my friend came rushing she turned on a row of spots in the ceiling. Not too bright, luckily, because I thought a more intense light would have blinded me.  
"Kathy!"  
"Aidra, can you sit up? Sit up please, I need to see your eyes!"

As I struggled to raise I suddenly felt how whatever I had inside of me wanted out. And wanted out the wrong way. I was going to heave, to puke on Kathy's fancy furnishing.  
"Help..." I began, then I threw up right in the face and on the torso of my friend, as the pain in the stomach ached like it was killing me. And even more terrible, it wasn't just the posh theatre buffet that was leaving me, there was a hell of a lot of blood to.

I was terrified now as I struggled to do something else than heave up more blood and whatever. I didn't care about Kathy or her furniture anymore, I feared for my life. Behind me I could hear Guiseppe and Fofs, the latter saying something like:  
"You little idiot, how much did you give her?"  
"Help – me!" I staggered as I rolled over and continued to barf on some kind of Persian carpet, grabbing Kathy as my whole body shook.  
"A normal dosage."  
"But I'm booze yah to a mortal – it can kill as much as cure." Guiseppe was saying.  
"Kath.. aaahh!" the pain made me cry out like mad.  
"I'm calling my father. Now. Whatever you say about that, hey Kathy!"  
"Feel free!" Kathy snapped. "It was you who screwed up, not we. You and that idiot kick nose. So you do the explanation as well. And it better be good this time, or Air is gonna be really really pissed. I bet my ass even Suzy will have things to say about..."

"Shut up and help the girl instead!" Fofs growled back followed by some words in that foreign language, to which Kathy replied something as nasty sounding in the same tongue. Then she was helping me up and across the living room, trough that hall and into a bathroom where she sat me down on the floor, turned on flooding black light and once again ordered me to look her in the eyes.  
"For Christ's sake Katherine I'm going to need a doctor!" I said between clamped cheeks before another cascade of blood came out of my mouth. Then I cried out in pain.  
"Forget the Nazareth guy. He's not here to help, nor will he be."  
"Kathy, I dunno what the he... whatever you're doing. But I don't care! I'm needing an.. aaah a.. doc..."  
"A doctor cannot fix you, you just have to ride through this."  
"Katherine, listen... ah... for..."

"She's transcending, right?" I heard Guiseppe behind me.  
"Yes, I've seen it before," Kathy was saying. "A port I you sis is not a painless process."

The pain seemed to retreat for a moment and I took the chance to ask:  
"What are you guys talking about? What the hell is wrong with me and why are you not getting medical help?"  
"You're beyond mortal help now, Aidra. Look me in the eyes!"  
"I..." Then I clamped my teeth against another ride of pain, but it was so forceful that I had to cry out loud again. The only thing bigger than the pain now was the fear. I was certain I was dying and I was terrified. I was going mad with fear and pain and not one in this freaked out place seemed to want to help me for real! No one was calling for medical help. An ambulance! They seemed all preoccupied with arguing in that strange-sounding language, which didn't help my understanding a bit.

"Aidra look at me! You're undergoing a port I you sis."  
"Say what?" I sighed, seeing that purple blacklight spots dance across my retina and gleaning in Kathy's designer earrings.  
"The I'm bossy yah, the dosage I gave you..."  
"Kathy please!"

Guiseppe was handing Kathy a wet towel and she used it to dry most of the blood and puke from first me then herself. Then Kathy turned to Guiseppe and said something in that foreign language and he left us alone. Outside I could hear that damn Fofs talking to someone on the phone, he sounded even more angered now than before, and was saying Kathy's name several times.

"Aidra listen! You're..."  
"Kathy, I'm dying, right? And you're not doing anything about it?" As I smudged my face I realized that the salty that was travelling down my chins were not regular tears, it was blood as well. Add to that a heavy nose bleed, and then it mattered less that the heaves had stopped.  
"No, Aidra. On the very contrary. Although it was no one's plan, you're undergoing a port I you sis because of what I gave you in the theatre. Had I known..."  
"The antidote?" I whispered. "You fucking killing me... I'm gonna fucking kill you! I lifted my hands, seeing in my mind how I strangled the woman in front of me, but I was too week, too much in pain to even be able to do more than lift my arms the tiniest of bits."  
"No but air is might." Kathy sighed. "Tart are us."

"Tart! Yeah right. Loser!" I replied. No less coherent than her gobbledygook I thought with a part of my mind.  
"Air is coming over," I could hear that Fofs say outside the door.  
"Aidra," Kathy tried again. "You're turning divine."  
"Yeah right. An angel. Like that goddamn nun in the book with the harp. Am I gonna get wings too?"  
"No this is for real. I gave you – well an antidote for what the Titans tried to kill you with. Unfortunately it was a bit too potent. Or I don't know about 'unfortunately' in your case but for my sorry ass it sure was. Someone's going to have it before the night is over. Aidra, the antidote, the substance is called I'm bru si yah and it is a magic matter which changes your DNA. It is turning you into a goddess Aidra."  
"'magic matter which changes your DNA' Kathy what've you been smoking? Gimme my phone, I'll call an ambulance myself."

Suddenly if felt like someone had flicked a switch inside of me and then everything felt so clear, the pain in my belly receded to a weak throbbing and so did the white noise in my ears and the lightheadness. It became replaced by something like a tickling itch all over my body, and I felt the need to scratch myself in a billion places. But just as the itch arrived it was gone again. Within the next heartbeat I found myself staring at Kathy as if I had never seen her before. There was a kind of purple sheen surrounding her and the light from the spots in the ceiling seemed multicoloured in a strange way. I noted a spider on the opposite wall of the bathroom and I could feel the cold of the emanel against the back of my head. Water from a tap was dripping somewhere and the air condition was humming silently, a fan making scraping sounds like it was slightly askew.  
"Kathy?"

"What do you know about the ancient Greek religion, Aidra?"  
At that enquiry I started to laugh. I don't know what got into me, I just laughed at this very absurd situation, and now there were real tears streaming down my cheeks. No blood this time, just salty tears. Don't ask me how I knew it.  
"Ancient fucking Greek say what?" I shook my head and tried to weap off those tears. "You guys are seriously – Crazy! I mean really! You try to poison me with your whatever it was you gave me over there at Broadway and now you ask me what I know about Greek.. eh religion."  
"As in Mythology," my friend sighed, sounding suddenly like a tired school teacher. "Greek Mythology."  
"Greek... Sorry Kathy, but not a shit. Save for the stuff I stumbled over when I researched those goddamn Neotitans. Not a shit, Kathy."

Kathy sighed anew, and said:  
"Well I guess it's never too late to start learning a few things."  
"Gimme a break now will ya! I had a fit of – well something, and I still think I need an ambulance. I mean an inner bleeding. And you start talking about Greek Mythology. Puh-leeease! Get real!"  
"Aidra listen! First of all, my real name is Hekate. I'm the Greek goddess of chaos magic. Or dark magic if you rather call it that. The men in my apartment are Phobos. He's the one calling his father. Ares – god of war. And Gyges, a Hecatoncheire – or a multi-talented protector god. A body guard. We are trying to stop the outbreak of a war which might as well kill the whole planet. And sorry, Aidra, but it seems that you are in the club now after my goof-up with the Ambrosia."

"Ambrosia?"  
"That was the antidote I fed you. The Titans we encountered in the foyer hit you with a magic grenade and it would've killed you hadn't I given you the Ambrosia. Most mortals – well they just – well, heal when given the substance. Heal from whatever injury or whatever illness they may carry from the flu to AIDS. Some are not affected at all, then others die. And less than one percent turn divine. And you were part of that exceptional per mille. You carry the genetic combination which made you respond to the Ambrosia in such a way. What you did now was getting rid of almost all mortal blood. Now your body will start to produce icorish blood instead."  
"Holy – shit!" I heard myself gasp. I could still hardly believe what Katy – Hekate was telling me. "But what if I'd died?"  
"One thing I knew for sure was that the Ambrosia wouldn't have killed you."  
"How did you..."  
"I understood that since the magic grenade didn't kill you instantly. So I took the chance with the Ambrosia. But I had no idea that your DNA would react to the substance in the way it did. Turning you divine."

"Divine how?"  
"As in a goddess. Imortal. Unaging. And if not impossible to kill, so much harder. You can say goodbye to cancer and heart conditions and other bad cases of mortality."  
"I think I can live with that deal."  
"I thought so too."  
"So now what?" I looked at Hekate. She held out her hand:  
"Welcome to the club – goddess Aidra!"  
"Eh, thanks – I guess. Since I know nothing about it." I breathed in and shifted position again. It was then I noted that I had bled through my pants as well, like a bad case of period. For some reason that felt more embarrassing than all the rest of the mess I'd made. "Sorry about your sofa and carpet!" I told Hekate.  
"No prob'" my friend smiled. "Gyges has probably already cleaned it up. Doesn't take that much magic to get rid of blood."

"Wow! Eh – Hekate. I realize I have a million questions and then some but first, that language you spoke out there which sounded like – I dunno. What was that? It sure doesn't sound like the Greek of my neighbours the Papatakidas."  
"That's because it's ancient Greek. Our mother tongue. We have as a policy to speak the local language wherever we go. English in New York, modern Greek in Athens, Italian in Rome, Japanese in Tokyo et cetera. But sometimes when we get upset we do slip back in the old lingo. It sort of – just happens."  
"I had no clue that the Greek gods were still around. Actually I remember some. Like Zeus and Athena and Posei... something. And Odysseus and Olympos."

Hekate laughed, a good natured sound.  
"Young one, you have a long way to go. Zeus, Athena and Poseidon are parts of the Dodekatheon – the Council of Twelve, our elected leaders. Odysseus was a Greek general in what is popularely known as the Trojan war, and it has been some 3000 years since he lived. And Olympos is a mountain in Greece which holds the first known Portal to the Aether dimension from where we originate, and thus that mountain became named after our home. But that's far from the only Portal, there are 16 of them around the world these days. The nearest one from here is located on a small island near Oak Island south of Brooklyn. Kept on an estate owned by Ares and me. That's the route we normally use when we go home to Olympia Lagunas."  
"Olympia Lagunas – where is that? Sounds like Hawaii. But you mean the gods of Greece live here in New York?"  
"No, not really. Some of us own flats and estates in the vicinity, and we do spend a lot of time here. Especially I, who absolutely love Manhattan. But Olympia Lagunas is not located anywhere around here, as a matter of fact, it's not even located on Earth!"

"Then – where?" It did sound crazy but not more crazy than anything else Kathy – eh – Hekate – had been saying so far. Honestly, I would still have suspected that she had smoked something or simply gone nuts, if it wasn't for the strange things which had happened to me. All this blood – and still I felt fine. No 'fine' didn't sum it up the least. Terrific was a better world. I felt like Superwoman ready to jump over skyscrapers. So I was giving Hekate the benefit of a doubht, for the time being at least. After all, her explanation didn't sound any crazier than anything else which could've explained what had happened to me tonight.  
"As I said, Aidra, Olympia Lagunas is in the Aether dimension. The place where the first divine humans saw the light of dawn. You can't get there with ordinary means, however the place is magically connected to this world. You have to be a citizen or have an invitation from Zeus or from at least two other members in the Council of Twelve."

"Are you guys citizens of Olympia?"  
"Yes, but that doesn't mean that all members of the Movement are. They may belong to allied pantheons, be free walkers or simply just supporters."  
"So there's more pantheons out there?"  
"Yes, there are nineteen pantheons all over the world, all residing in different dimensions. Not all have as many members or are as worldwide as we, but there's a lot more other gods around."  
"Wow," I repeated myself. "Hekate, I've never really considered myself a good Christian. I felt that the things they were teaching in the churches – well, the best way I can describe it is like a police investigation not adequately done. Full of holes and incoherencies. Facts missing and important pieces of the puzzle which do not fit together."

"Actually," Hecate began, "that might have to do with that very Abrahamitic religion being knitted together during a period of approximately twelve hundred years and by hundreds of people. People who filled it with their own theological and political preferences and to Tartarus with truth. Then there were quite a few people editing stuff out and others editing things in. Knows it all priests and monks. Not bothering a minute with consistence. And in the end no one to proof read or double check it. But let's leave Christianity aside now. I'm not really interested in it, honestly it bores me. If you want to discuss it with someone I suggest Kantara or Danagon. That's some other deities you'll come across sooner or later. Now..."

As Hekate had been talking I had heard the Big Ben signal of what I presumed was a door bell somewhere and then some more talking in that ancient version of Greek. Now Guiseppe – Gyges, that was – entered the bathroom and cut Hekate off:  
"The God of War is here now."

Hekate made a face, mumbling something about 'not being nessecary really inviting him' and then the newcomer entered the bathroom. And I stared, feeling my jaw almost dropping in my lap:

"Marc? Marc Harris?"


	5. Marc Harris

**Marc Harris**

Yes, at first glance it appeared to be my former boss who had entered the bathroom, where Hekate and I were sitting on the floor next to the shower cabinet. Then I realized that this person, who was more or less the spitting image of Marc, had to be quite a bit younger. He looked like he could be 22. The most. There was no scars in the face like with Marc and his hair was jet black – not a single strand of gray. My first assumption was naturally a younger brother of Marc. Or perhaps even a son. In fact he reminded me of a buffed up Jon Kortajarena.

"Ares, you didn't really..." Hekate begun, sounding frustrated.  
"...Have to come." the Marc lookalike filled in as he crossed powerful arms over a chest like a barn door. "Yeah, but I felt like coming. When Phobos called I realized that I had better stop by and check on your little 'new recruit'. Hekate, I know this might've been a mistake and you were in a hurry and all those excuses, and I'm not going to lecture you about it. Things happen. And we don't have the luxury of looking for scapegoats now. Besides I was the one providing you with the Ambrosia 'in case of emergency'."

Then the god of war seemed to see me for the first time, and his brows rose in a way I found very familiar. Very Marc Harris.  
"Aidra!"  
"Do... You are Marc?"  
"You two know each other?" It was this Phobos guy who had entered the bathroom as well. Mr. Dangerous from the Broadway theatre. He too looked like a young Marc Harris although with green eyes and a slightly different shape of lips and nose.  
"Aidra used to work for me," Ares replied, turning his head slightly. "And on another note I suggest we continue this discussion somewhere else. Kate, help Aidra wash herself and lend her something clean to wear and then let's sit down in the dining room. Aidra need nourishment. Get something to eat, Phobos. For all of us I suggest. And not those soggy pizzas this time!"

Well that sure was Marc Harris. My old boss in a nut shell. Someone who took control of every situation and straightened it out, someone who made sure every man and woman did his or her part to set things in motion. The strategist, the planner and the motivator. That was the Marc Harris I knew, and thus it didn't surprise me that he was a war god – the God of War apparently.

O0O0O

"So you've been a Greek god in disguise? All the time?" I asked Ares who was sitting opposite of me in an elegant dining room adjacent to Hekate's spacious living room where – just as our hostess had said – not a sign of my mess was left, neither on the expensive sofa nor on the Persian carpet. A large table was set with plates and utensils and we were eating take away Thai from a nearby restaurant while a fire crackled in the fireplace and the nocturnal Manhattan glistened and sparkled in the falling rain outside. I had found myself starving and there was all I could do to mind my table manners and to not stuff myself with noodles, vegetables, chicken and scrimps. I had had a shower and Hekate had loaned me a sweater and a pair of jeans which I could barely fit into, Hekate had much more slender hips and she was shorter than I so I actually felt like I was wearing breeches. Not that it really mattered. None of the others seemed to mind. We were lightyears from the concept of Judith & Claire tonight.

"That is true." Ares said and picked up a scrimp with his chop sticks. "While things were – well quiet – in the world of immortals, I did my little things to help the mortals. The way gods are supposed to do. Why don't they pluck the tails from these things by the way? I helped the allied in some wars, then I've been fighting the war on drugs for at least two decades. The identity of Colonel Harris and then police officer Marc Harris being a good and pleasant cover. The special unit against drugs was my idea and I put together what I figured were the best persons to do the job when we started last year. You were one of the very best, Aidra, and I hated the notion of losing you. You were simply too good to give up on, senator or no senator."

I smiled within. Uriel Nantes had resigned from his position a bit more than a month ago, when the pressure against him became too much and these days my killing of his drug dealing son was no more or less forgotten.

"That was when Ares called me." Hekate said. "Told me to check you out. Give you a try as a co-worker with us instead."

"Why, thanks Mar... Ares! All the time I thought that it was Sim's doing."  
"No, I just got the idea from him, and then I told Gyges to relate to him when he made the first contact with you, Aidra. I never thought – I mean I just wanted to help you, to give you a new job. I considered it a good idea at the time to put you in contact with Hekate's cover organization, the Scimitar. I don't know how much Hekate has told you about the threats of a divine war."  
"Very little," the goddess of chaos magic admitted.  
"Not her fault," I said. "I guess no one expected that I'd be thrown in right in the middle of this mess and to become a victim of divine weapon. And to end up a goddess after a dosage of Ambrosia."

"It was my fault," Hekate blushed.  
"It was no one's 'fault'," Ares replied. "You did your duty, Hekate, you saved the life of Aidra. Some rescue that. And you stopped Judith from being wounded as well."  
"Is Judith also a goddess?" I asked.  
"No," Phobos replied. This was the first time he had said anything in a long time. He had introduced himself as Ares' son earlier and then being content with listening to Ares, just as Gyges was. "She's not even nymph. She's a mortal but dedicated to the 'case'. There are quite a lot of these people around, even if we Olympians are more or less unknown with the general public these days. In any case, the idea was to let you in on the truth later on. When we were sure you were trustable and of the right stuff."  
"But the truth decided to let you in first, Aidra," Hekate smiled.  
"Judith's mission was to act as a 'beacon'," Phobos went on. "To drag some of the enemy out into the light so that we could trace them and put an end to what they are planning."

"Can you still do that?" I wondered.  
"Yes, no problem." Ares replied. "No cover was blown with your intervention and apotheosis. These so called Neotitans still believe that they simply failed to retrieve a defected cult member. And we have people tracing them down as we speak. Phobos' brother Deimos is one of them."  
"Glad to hear that Judith is OK." I breathed out with relief. "What was that word again?"  
"Which?" Gyges asked.  
"Apo – something. Apostle?"  
"Apotheosis," Ares responded. "It means 'elevation into godhood'. An unusual and sometimes traumatic process."  
"Yeah it hurt like hell," I replied. Then I laughed at my own choice of words. 'Hell' was yet another Christian concept and I wasn't really sure how applicable that was anymore. I had to ask about it later. Now, after having eaten I just felt like I wanted to curl up and sleep for a week.

And Hekate must have spotted my clipping lids because she told me I could use one of the guest rooms and that she should show me. The gent's on the other hand – they were men after all, so it had taken them a bit longer to sense my tiredness. But then they bade their good nights and started to prepare to leave as well. Ares turned to look at me before he left:  
"Aidra, I'm quite sure Hekate can fill you in with all you might need to know about our organization. But I'll be back tomorrow to help along as well."  
"Thanks Ares!" I said, as I slowly became aware of the mighty strength emitting from him. A strength I hadn't felt for real earlier, even if he as Marc, had been something like a pillar to lean on. Now I wanted to draw comfort from that strength, to be able to cope with what strange faith which might lie ahead of me. It felt as if I was standing on an edge, ready to leap into the darkness of the unknown. And I sure could need a hand to hold in that venture.  
"Don't thank me, Aidra," the War God said. "I feel partly responsible for what happened to you. It was after all I who both sent you to Hekate and then gave her the Ambrosia. But more about all and everything tomorrow. Sweet dreams meanwhile." He smiled and I tried to smile back but all I managed to do was yawn.

O0O0O

It was almost noon when I woke up the next morning after a night of fragments of strange dreams. A pale sunshine was filtering in between silken curtains and rendering the room in a pleasantly soft light. Saturday, I thought with a part of my mind. Nice! First I figured that all these things about Greek gods had been dreams as well. Dreams inducted by that stupid musical, hadn't it had some kind of Greek theme? No it had been Italian and besides it was all too clear and consequent to be a dream. Still, my old boss Marc Harris as a Greek god? And Kathy? I got that 'gimme a break' feeling when turning around in the comfortable bed and pondering it.

I stretched a bit, curled my toes and rolled my shoulders, and then I went up and had a quick shower in pretty the little guest bathroom next to my bedroom. After that the beckoning smell of coffee lured me down a staircase in light wood to the lower storey, and following that siren song I soon found me inside a waste and sunny kitchen where Kathy was preparing a generous brunch. No, make that Hekate.  
"Good morning sleepyhead. Or perhaps I should say good day. Not that it matters to me, I'm a night person myself, never really been the one for early mornings."  
"'Morning 'Kat. Can I apply for that morning haters club as well? So you're making brunch. That's wonderful. For us and which boarding school by the way?"  
"Ares."  
"Ares coming over?"  
"Yeah, didn't he tell you so? And he eats like – well, a frigging boarding school."

"So it wasn't a dream?"  
"This?"  
"Ares – and, well the Greek gods. And my – what's it called again?" I asked and gladly accepted a cup of wonderfully smelling coffee from Hekate.  
"The Apotheosis. No, darling, it wasn't a dream."

I looked around, took in the modern and comfortable kitchen with its up to date appliances and a set table filled with goodies. Abstract art in black and red on the walls. A door to a terrace was slightly ajar, letting in the faint sounds of the city and some loud and screaming seagulls. A Greek goddess, this was obviously the explanation to Kathy's wealth. I wondered if I could acquire something similar.

Hekate pulled out a chair by the table and urged me to help myself to whatever I desired. And deciding to let the question of calories and kilos go out the window for a while I went for pancakes with a lot of syrup, fried eggs (sunny side up), toast with jam and cheddar, blueberry muffins and a slice of cherry pie. And some freshly pressed orange juice to be at least somewhat healthy. And then I dug in, while noting that Hekate ate as much as me.  
"Glad you like the stuff," she said. "You gotta get used to eat like this, a deity burn about ten times as much calories as the general mortal does. Takes much more energy to keep up with our higher level of vibration and of course the physical advantages we're having. Just flying burns fat like nothing you can do as a mortal! Say goodbye to the gym, Aidra!"  
"I think I can live with it," I smiled and helped myself to another slice of this wonderful cherry pie. "Besides, I've never really liked gyms. Too crowdy with overly narcissistic people."  
"That's the spirit," Hekate smiled and offered more coffee.

"So this much I have understood," I began as I dried off my sticky fingers on a napkin. "You and Ares and his son Phobos and Gyges are part of this Olympian pantheon, which is led by Zeus, Athena, Poseidon and some other people. Nine more if I do the math. And you are fighting some bad guys which this group of Neotitans are a part of. But the rest? Is it like that movie – Clash of the Titans? Or Percy Jackson?"  
"Percy Jackson – that was a laugh, still a joke among us to be true. Al right, let's get down to elementary class," Hekate said, pushed aside her finished plate of brunch and placed her arms upon the table. Then she begun. And I think it took her three hours just to go through the basics of it.

First of all – the Council of Twelve consisted of Zeus and his wife Hera and five of Zeus' many children, including 'our' Ares. The other four were Athena, Apollo, Artemis and Hermes. Then there were Poseidon, Aphrodite, Demeter and Demeter's daughter Persephone and Poseidon's son Rodhe. There were also the resigned council members Hephaestos, Prometheus, Themis, Metis, Hades, Dionysos and Hestia. Hekate dropped a lot of other names, like her mother Nyx and her daughter Circe and then Helios, Selene, Eos, Iris, Oceanus, Amphitrite, Ariadne, Eros, Psyche, Clymene, Sekmeth, Atlas, Alexander, Aiolos, Aristaios, Pan, Hebe, Dione, Orion, Asklepios, Achilles, Nike, Tyche, Ishtar, Bellona, Nereus, Leto, Eileithyia, Morpheus, Paeon, Hyperion, Cybele, Nemesis, Hercules, Eris, Freya, Ganymedes, Aristaios, Mithras, Jaunus, Kalix... and I stopped her after fifty-something, I could hardly remember them all, I feared.

"No worry, you will. That's the divine memory, repeat what I just said, will you!" So after a few seconds of hesitation, that was just what I did. I even remembered the order of the role call. So that's where Hekate's perfect recollection of names and faces came from. Up until now I had thought it was just an acquired skill.

Then Hekate went on with telling about how the pantheon association had started some 4000 years ago when Zeus and a handful more gods had got together and defeated Kronos, the tyrant god who ruled the world back then. At that time this Kronos had killed almost all of the world's immortal beings. After his victory Zeus became appointed as the leader of all the gods in the world. Most other gods recognized him as their ruler after his defeat of Kronos, and the rest chose more or less to remain silent. Among the former were the Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Aztec/Toltec and Indian gods and among the latters were the desert dwellers Yahweh, Baal and El. First Zeus had governed the world in a triad leadership with his second in command Poseidon and his wife at that time, Themis. But it had meant too much work so they had appointed Hera and Prometheus as chancellors and then included them in the 'government' as well.

The first Council of Twelve had been founded some five hundred years later. It consisted of Zeus, Hera, Hestia, Themis, Prometheus, Metis, Demeter, Hades, Apollo, Artemis, Athena and Ares. At that time Zeus had divorced Themis and married Hera instead. Themis didn't stay long in the council, but during that time she had a failed affair with Poseidon too. Nevertheless Themis remained in the closest group around Zeus and kept giving him valuable advices, something she still was doing as a matter of fact.

Hekate had given a fast forward story of the turbulent millenia of Olympia up until today. There where the era of being the gods of the ancient Greeks and then Romans and then the last 1500 years spent as the hidden rulers of the world. The secret schemers and controllers, who couldn't act in the open because the Olympians were certain it would dampen the progress of a mortal society. A society they suspected would turn to their gods rather than fixing their problems themselves. Humanity had to grow up, and thus the gods had to go. Or at least become more passive. Then it mattered less that some still clung to the concept of religion, because gods like Yahweh and Allah had never really done anything actively, save for the former's vigorous guidance of Moses back when Zeus and the rest were still fighting Titans.

Somewhere along Hekate's storytelling, Ares had slipped in and helped himself to what remained of the brunch. He had given Hekate a slight peck on her cheek and it was then I understood that the 'ex-boyfriend' Hekate had been talking about had in fact been Ares. Wonder when they broke up and what had caused it.

Ares had taken over the narrating after a while and he told about the threat the world faced now. It was in fact an old menace, those 'Neotitans' had been around since the eight century, but it was first now their powers had grown into such a proportion that they endangered the world society for real. When Kronos had been defeated, Ares told, he had left no offspring but a handful mortals who the gods considered more or less harmless and didn't bother with. A mistake.  
"How come? They were mortals, right? Or weren't they?" I asked.  
"True, they were. But you might call them a time bomb," Ares told. "Because in their DNA were hidden strings that didn't activate until some 700 generations later. Then immortals started to be born into this world again. Immortal Titans with residual memories of their dead ancestor and filled with the desire of revenge against the gods who had finished him and his reign."

"Gee – creepy!"  
"You can say that again," Hekate nodded her head.  
"Those first generations were quite easy to defeat," Ares went on. "They weren't' that strong and they were untrained and confused. But they managed to throw mankind into the dark ages, because while we immortals were busy fighting those Neotitans we had to leave mankind to manage on its own much earlier than anticipated. Something they were far from prepared to do. Rome and Greece were bordering on the industrial era, but when we had to abandon them, that didn't happen – not until almost 1000 years later. On top of that those Neotitans weren't content with hitting at us gods, they tried to distract us by striking out against the mortal humans as well. They sent the plagues, crop failures and then black magic wizards to cause death, devastation and confusion and they instigated countless of wars among men. And while we were busy fighting those beings the last of our believers turned their backs against us, forgot us because we weren't there to answer their prayers anymore."  
"But Hekate told me that the Christian god doesn't answer prayers either."

Ares just sighed and looked with longing brown eyes at the empty plate of cherry pie. Then he went on:  
"It's not about answered prayers anymore when it comes to organized religion. It's about what the majority believes. It's about being one in the gang, about blending in and not being bullied. And it's about power and money. Look around, Aidra, most religions are about money more than anything today. Oh, they talk about all those ancient truths and afterlife and such, but no one can give any real proof to what they claim. Heaven and hell and demigods walking on water – you're... you were a cop, Aidra, you know a testimony like that wouldn't hold in court. Or last for any empiric research. But while others buy the concept, you're aware of that, Aidra. I remember you having a heated discussion about these things with Catherine Glockmann back at the station some five or six months ago."  
"Yeah, the diehard Presbyterian. What does she know?"  
"Very little I admit. But neither did you at the time, my dear."

I smiled meekly. He sure hit fast, Ares. Then he left the subject of organized religion and returned to the Neotitans, told that they had almost been rooted out during the sixteenth century. But apparently some had remained, hidden away in Siberia and in South America and now they were rising again, using the cover of international terrorism to cause confusion among the mortals, trying again their old scheme of distracting and dividing the gods. These days there were mortal Titans as well, beings which were genetically changed humans. A few of these mortals had been captured and the Olympians had tried to understand where they had come from, something they had not really managed to do until the last 100 years.  
"They had been human zygotes once, but the Titans used magic to mutate them, creating 'titan mortals'. Probably to strengthen their own relevance across the globe."  
"But we don't know how many of these beings there are," Hekate cut in. "Or where they hide. We have yet to locate any real and permanent Titan mortal dwelling although that's one of the things on the top priority list."  
"What will you do if you find such a society?" I asked.  
"We don't know yet," Ares admitted. "That depends on their general stature, if they show aggressiveness towards the human world."

Now the gods feared there were a lot more of these Titans hiding away somewhere, although they had no clue about where.  
"But we are prepared this time" Ares said. "And better organized. In spite of their strength we hope to win for good this time. But that victory won't come easy."  
"But if the mortal Titans are not hostile, will you spare them?" I pressed Ares and Hekate.  
"We do not know yet." The war god answered. "That's one moral dilemma we'll have to deal with. Whatever, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

O0O0O

I had four missed calls from my mother and two from my father when I checked the cellphone a while later. Darn, what was I going to tell THEM! My religious mother who considered God and Jesus Christ almost as her personal blue blankets. I texted that I was all right but that had to turn down the regular Sunday dinner, blaming work. Which wasn't an entire lie after all. I sure needed more time before I confronted them with what had become of me. I was so sure they both were going to have a fit and I didn't want to be the cause of that. I really could need some advice, and I figured the born and birthed gods like Hekate and Ares weren't exactly the right persons to ask.

O0O0O

"Now, when you get to the end of the stairs you just keep walking upwards, as if there are more steps ahead of you," Ares said. He was standing in the air, about five inches above the floor. Smiling but with a serious look upon his face. The look I remembered from Marc Harris when he meant business.  
"But then I'll stumble and fall!" I said hesitantly, standing in the staircase with four steps ahead of me before I would reach the upper level.  
"No you won't, come on!"

I tried, but 'forgot myself' and stepped down on the floor in spite and had to do it all over again. The next time I tried to step in the air but staggered and almost fell.  
"No, Ares I cannot do this!"  
"Yes you can, don't give up as easily. Just imagine there's another step in that staircase and that you're going to step on that one instead."

So I did it once more and this time – well this time it almost felt like my bare feet was stepping on something. Something almost rubbery and a bit fluffy. And I lifted my next feet and then I was standing on that rubberfluff. I was standing on air! Surprised I looked down – and stumbled and fell once again, Ares catching my arm before I hurt myself.  
"Don't look down if you suspect you'll fall!" He told me. "Now once more!"  
"Ares..."  
"Come on Aidra, I don't remember you as a quitter!"  
"Well, all right!"

The fourth time I was actually able to walk on that rubberfluff, walk over to Ares and we did a high five there up in the air on Hekate's second floor.  
"Now I want you to walk out towards the stairs and then continue without climbing down." Ares said when I was down on the safe wooden planks again.  
"Do I really...?"  
"It's the very same thing, Aidra."

Yet another time I forgot and had to start all over, but the second time I walked out to Ares, where he was standing in the air some four feet away from the stairs. One more high five and then he backed off and continued out in the room. Hekate's living room had a two storey high ceiling and Ares was walking out halfway up as if the second floor continued out in that room as well. Hekate herself was sitting in a chair with a read, but was soon paying attention to us instead.  
"Catch me, Aidra!"  
"Ha-ha you bet! It took some more courage to dare to run on that rubberfluff where every footfall felt like a jeopardy but then I found myself chasing after Ares as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He challenged me to change height, to do caterwheeling and handstands as well, and I had never felt as agile as I did that afternoon. He let me catch him twice for a high ten, and then he showed how to fly for real. It actually resembled swimming and I tried it, got careless and hit the wall. I slammed right ahead, felt my head and my right shoulder impact, but oddly enough it didn't hurt. What more, there were splinters in the wall! I did that? Spooky!

O0O0O

"Close your eyes if that makes you feel better, Aidra!"

Biting my lip I looked down, beyond my balancing feet and in the shaft at the cars way down below. They looked like colourful dots, and I shivered as I imagined the fall down there. I'd die for sure. Then I looked up again, Ares was standing some three metres from the edge of the roof, holding out his arms and smiling.  
"What if anyone sees us, Ares?" I hesitated.  
"They won't. I have coated us in invisibility. Now come on, dear!"  
"You catch me if I fall!"  
"You're not going to fall, it's no difference from walking in 'Kat's apartment. A bit windier perhaps."

"Eh... " I obeyed Ares and closed my eyes. Then I reached out with a bare foot, feeling the rubberfluff once again. The only difference was that it felt slightly colder and a bit more ticklish. Carefully I tried to put the foot down, trusting the rubberfluff to carry my weight, and sure it did. Then I lifted my next foot – you better not lying to me now, Ares – and putting it too down on the rubberfluff.  
"Come here now!" Listening to his voice I walked over to Ares, as if on eggshells and when I finally reached him after a million of years I grabbed his arms hard and rested all my weight upon him instead.  
"Good," he praised me. Then he did something totally unexpected. He pushed me off himself hard, almost violently and I gasped with fear as I was thrown backwards into nothingness.


	6. DNA

**DNA**

When Ares pushed me away from him some two hundred metres up in the air outside Hekate's penthouse flat I was certain my last moment was pending. Instead I sat myself right down on my ass, and it sure felt like landing in Jell-O. I almost feared I'd get wet.  
"Now what?" I looked with miffed eyes upon the God of War.  
"You need to trust the element. And your own ability. Get up again!"

First I just stared at him, not sure where to find the leverage. Then I figured something and just lowered my legs so I was standing instead, about a metre below Ares' level. The next moment I jumped up in level with him and skipped forward, pushing back. And I actually managed to take him by surprise because he staggered backwards with a surprised look on his handsome face. The next second he was reaching for me but I avoided him swiftly and tried to slap at him instead. Ares caught my arm and lifted me in the air before letting go and I tried to catch him again. I actually figured it was very much like playing around in water, although with lover resistance.

"This must be like how it feels for the astronauts," I giggled. Surprisingly enough I wasn't even panting, not even after having chased Ares around the building.  
"A bit. Zero G is slightly different," Ares said. "We can go out in space later, so you'll experience it for real. It sure is a wonderful feel. And seeing the Earth from above will give you a hint at what the Aether looks like."  
"Can't wait to go there. So you guys have access to space suits as well?"  
"No, but we don't need them. All you have to do is learning to contain your oxygen long enough to go out there. I can teach you to use an aigis. Then you can bring oxygen with you as well."

Then he dived away from me and I chased him towards the next building and up on top of that one. There we sat down on the ornamental roof, looking eastward where the sun was sliding slowly towards the horizon. Oddly enough, I felt that I was hungry in spite of that heavy brunch just a few hours back. I looked for expletives, all those Christian ones felt so obsolete now.  
"Holy Bazoolah," I settled for. "I'm Supergirl!"  
"You're better than her." Ares replied as he was leaning back, resting his head upon his arms. "No kryptonite allergy. Although we have to work on your profanities. Bazoolah – that sounds like a dot com business."  
"Aww, stuff it," I giggled and pushed him over the edge. Ares rolled a bit with the motion and then he was back again.  
"You're a good student, Aidra, but you have just started to understand your new abilities. We have a lot ahead of us, but I suggest we call it a day now and go for dinner."  
"Great, I'm a bit hungry after all."  
"Hungry? I bet you feel like you could eat an elephant or something," he said and when I blushed he simply smiled and went on: "You'll have to learn to conserve your energies as well. As well as relying on other sources of nourishment. Like sunshine for instance."

"Sunshine? Now you're pulling my leg."  
"No, I'm not. We can actually use the photons of the sun to boost our reserves if we should need to."  
"Like plants?" I couldn't believe it. "We're plants?"  
"Well, it's not really photosyntesis. It's done on another level. Different physics involved."  
"So why do we eat?"  
"Why we eat? Because it's yummy of course. Or can you imagine being without Hekate's cherry pie, now when you have gotten a taste of it?"  
"No, you're right."  
"Good, then come, let's go inside!"

0000000000000

When I said good night to Ares that evening, I also told him to say hello to the gang at the station. My old NYPD colleagues.  
"Tell them I'm fine," I said. "Tell them I really enjoy being a freelancer and it has been quite an experience. In ways I could never foresee to be true." Ares laughed at that.  
"I sure will, Aidra. And – come to think of it, when you mention the colleagues – why Binary?"  
"What?" I was still so preoccupied with this Greek god thing that I didn't immediately grasp what Ares meant.  
"Why is Molly's babe called Binary? I mean, I never thought of asking earlier, and now, this late into her pregnancy, it's almost embarrassing to ask."  
"Oh that – it's because they don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet. Equal changes. One or Zero, on or off. Girl or boy. And thus Binary!"

I grinned at Ares as I saw his face lighten up.  
"Amazing," he said. "Never thought about it! Should have! Some detective I am!"

0000000000000

The surroundings of my own flat provided me with at least some feeling of normalcy. There were my usual stuff, the usual slight smell of dampness, floor polish and old cooking, the sound of water singing in pipes and the neighbor playing his stereo too loud as always, the ponding bass reverberating through the building like a harassed heart.

I sat down on my davenport in the living room and absent-mindedly turned on the TV. And there they were again, almost like a message from my old life. Solinvictus performing _Debonair_ in that video with a cream-white Porsche racing with a tar-black stallion. He sure was a looker, Paul Oliver, with that body made in heaven, those sapphire eyes looking right through the set at me as if he wanted to reach out and take my hand and drive off with me in that Porsche to a nevernever land of endless sunsets and poppy meadows. I ogled him all through the three minutes they were on and then I rose from the davenport as the Solinvictus video ended and Lady Gaga took their place. I was after all here just to get my most necessary things since I would be staying with Hekate for the time being. We had agreed that this would be the easiest solution while I was learning to use my divine powers. And then what? I guessed I would find out soon enough, Ares did probably have some future plans for this newly blossomed goddess who was Aidra Mandragore.

I pulled out a bag and started to fill it with all the essential things for a lengthy stay over including clothes, shoes and bathroom stuff, an alarm clock, a good read, my laptop, my MP3 player, a hairdryer, the first aid kit and pens and a notebook. Then after a moment of hesitation I put down my gun as well. But I decided I'd do without the flashlight and the matches. But the camera was added, I hoped I could get a picture of Ares walking on Air.

As I zipped the bag close I got a look at myself in the full length mirror. It was the first time I actually met my reflection since yesterday, I had been too preoccupied with other things. And did I do a double-take? I was twenty again. But without that acne I still had had back in those years. A closer up look revealed that it hadn't been a trick of the light. My face was young again, no wrinkles on the forehead or around the eyes. And not a blemish to be seen. Even that ugly hole in my brow where I used to have a piercing back in the nineties was gone. Wrinkling my brow I checked my ears, no the holes were still there, probably because I still wore my tiny golden rings. I used to leave them in, more or less forgetting they were there these days.

The next thing I looked at my hands. They were young as well. After that I couldn't resist but pulled up my cardigan – and yes, the scar after the removal of my caecum back in my teens was gone with the wind, not even a trace of different colouring of the skin. And so was the tattoo of the rooster on my left loin, another goof of my youth. Good! I had almost started to hate that goddamn bird. My skin was like a newborn, no signs of my previous life anywhere. I almost missed my old scars and marks.

"Cara mia what have become of the old Aidra," I asked out loud as I stared myself in the eyes. And the girl staring back from the mirror had an even more prominent emerald colour than the one I remembered. As if I was wearing coloured lenses.

I took a quickie into the dojo and stared at the stuff there. They too felt like some echo from my old life. Nevertheless I put on the boxing gloves and then I landed a large punch at the sack – BAAAM! The next second I looked at a bag lying on the floor by the yonder wall, the hook which had been screwed to the ceiling resting on the floor in a tiny heap of mortar. In the ceiling there was a large, ugly hole instead.  
"Eff you cee kay! The landlord is going to kill me!" I sighed. Sure, I was becoming a superhero in more than one sense it seemed. Now how to avoid wearing primary coloured spandex?

At that time I noted that I was hungry in spite of the tree course dinner I had just eaten over at Hekate's. So I went into the kitchen and peered inside the fridge. It was rather empty and I recalled that I had skipped my usual Saturday grocery shopping. Not that it mattered at the moment. The last banana was brown so I put it in the trash bin. Then I remembered what Hekate had said about ten times as much calories, and I opened the freezer, taking out the Ben and Jerry box there. Smiling I returned to the living room with the round box and a spoon. Sunlight my butt, knowing my sweet tooth I wouldn't ever be needing that to fill my craving for calories!

0000000000000

Hekate had connected her laptop to the TV for a better view and now she was powering up a programme I was unfamiliar with. The interface looked like really badass top notch stuff and it held a lot of sliders and scrollboxes where Hekate tapped around with skilled fingers. Soon advanced 3D pictures were filling the screen in front of me. Hekate had one of those large state-of-the-art plasmas, generations from my own stegosaurus. The picture was crystal clear, I almost felt like I could reach out and touch those trinkets there. Feeling the texture of those round balls and long poles with my hands. There was a long double-helix spiral-shaped ladder coming into focus as Hekate tapped away on the keyboard. Then it stopped, zoomed in and some of the steps on the ladder turned red while a few became blue.

"This is the generic human DNA," Hekate began her lecture. "Or Deoxyribonucleic acid if you feel the need to impress somebody with a fancy word. It's the nucleic acid that contains the genetic coding for all known living organisms. To put it short, they are what makes us who we are, what specie we belong to. Goats, squids, pines or bacteria. Or humans – and gods. After all gods are but a mutated sub-group of the homo-sapiens primate specie. You might see the DNA as a blue print – or programming code for a being. These two strands you see circling here are called polymers and they are tied together by nucleotides, those rods looking like steps on a ladder. They are made up out of four types of molecules. Those are called adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine. It's the sequences of these that encodes information. This information is read using the genetic code, which specifies the sequence of the amino acids within proteins. Within cells, DNA is organized into long structures called chromosomes. These chromosomes are duplicated before cells divide. If you want more details, go ask Asklepios, our god of medicine."

"This is more than enough, Hekate. After all the only need-to-know I had earlier was that you can identify a being using DNA. We in the police use it in forensics."  
"I know. I bet my ass, that empty donut bag in the trash bin carry enough of Ares' DNA to tie him to the disappearance of the last donut."  
"Fine by me, I don't care that much for donuts anyway. I'm more of an ice cream girl."  
"Don't care about donuts? And you call yourself a cop?"  
"Not anymore!"

"Good point!" Hekate admitted. "Nevertheless, look at these blue highlights! These are the ones which are important for us. Ours are different from the regular, mortal humans. Because they hold the information which makes us divine. Which makes us not aging and which opens up the doors to traits mortals don't have. When you changed here yesterday it was in fact your blue rods that mutated. The process is probably completely done by now and you're fully divine."

"I know. I'm like twenty again. Although I still have those strands of gray hair." I replied and pushed fingers through my short, auburn curls.  
"It's because hair is dead matter. It doesn't change in accordance with the rest of the living organism. But trust me, Aidra, that when those gray ones fall off there'll be new, auburn ones there instead."  
"So I mutated. It sounds like a science fiction movie," I said and regarded the DNA on the screen.  
"It sure is. Although there's no science involved, it's a natural process, although highly rare. And believe me, it's not fiction either."  
"Hekate, can it – change back?"  
"No it cannot. Not that I'm aware of. Perhaps under certain conditions, but it has yet to happen. Once a god always a god it is said. As far as we know it's an irreversible process."

"And gods can't die?"  
"They can be killed, even if it's very hard. But when the Titan wars started there were about a million gods around the globe. Fifty years later, when Zeus and his group of gods finally had defeated Kronos, that number was down to 165."  
"Gee! That's what I call genocide."  
"It sure was. Almost all gods were gone. And the number is far from back, I believe now the world holds some 7 000 gods. Including 800 members of the Olympian nation."  
"And the rest?"  
"Members of other pantheons and a large majority of free runners. Gods who may be allied to some pantheon or another but not really belonging anywhere for one reason or another. Like Yahweh, Carmelia or Loki."

Then Hekate was back talking about the DNA again. She went into details about the combination of molecules and how they have been changed by the mutagen in the Ambrosia. It wasn't really that much which had been altered in my DNA, just a few combinations out of billions, but the little things which had actually happened was vital to the change.  
"Then, Aidra, remember those blue strands which were changed, not all people carry them. They are very rare in fact, less than one per mille have them. So if you get like two thousand people eating Ambrosia you'll have one turning into a god, if statistics can be trusted. These few people have what we refer to as divine latency; they can become gods under the right circumstances."  
"By eating Ambrosia?"  
"Or being exposed to radiation. There were a few cases in Hiroshima. The New Japanese Pantheon they call themselves today. But this is so rare that spontaneous mutations seldom happens. Before you I have only come across one case personally, and that was almost 3000 years back."  
"Who?"  
"Thyone, mother of the god Dionysos. When she gave birth to Dion she received Ambrosia by Zeus to survive the labour. And she mutated. I was there to midwife her, and while we thought she was dying she was actually mutating. Seeing you I remembered the process, so in an instant I knew what had happened to you."

"How did I get those strands? From one of my parents?"  
"Yes of course! And they are probably heritage from some immortal ancestor who is so far back in time that you don't know about that one. With Semele, who Thyone was called before she turned divine and changed her name, that immortal ancestor was easier to trace, since it was her grandmother – Aphrodite!"  
"So you got to have them – and you got to mutate?"  
"Or be born a god of course. Which only happens if you have two divine parents. Otherwise you just become a demigod, and carrier of the traits that can make you divine. Then there's the little trick of nature of course, just to make life more complicated."  
"What?"  
"If you have two carriers and they meet and have a child, that one may turn divine. Surprise surprise! That was the case with Ganymedes for instance."

"Where did the first gods come from by the way?"  
"We don't really know, since not a single one of these so-called primordials survived the Titan Wars. The closest to those we Olympians ever came was the Nature Goddess Gaia who was killed in the Giant uprising around 1000 BC. She told about legends of a comet crash. Probably that comet carried some mutagen or some radioactive matter which changed the DNA of our ancestors, turning them divine. Or perhaps it was just a spontaneous mutation."  
"And the Ambrosia? Where does it come from?"  
"These days it's manufactured in laboratories we keep at the Olympia Lagunas. But the original Ambrosia was found in another dimension – a place called Miasma. I think it's a cool place but most people consider spooky. Ambrosia was discovered during the Titan wars and the gods around learned about its benefit as a curing matter and an endurance drug. But it took centuries before we learned about its ability to mutate as well."

"How?"  
"It was given to Hercules, the demigod son of Zeus, when he was on the brink of dying from a poison. A treason thing, long story, but Athena fed him Ambrosia and he mutated, the strands he had inherited from Zeus were changed and he became a god. That sure rose quite a few divine brows around. First we thought anyone who ate ambrosia would turn into a god, but when it proved to not be the case Asklepios did some more research and learned how it worked. But it wasn't until recently we knew exactly which strands of DNA that gets affected and how they have to look to be receptive to Ambrosia at all."

I stared at those strands on the TV set, and thought about the implications of it all for a while. One out of two thousands, that would mean that roughly 5000 New Yorkers had the chance to become gods.  
"Is it possible to tell beforehand who the Ambrosia might work on? I mean who may mutate?"  
"I don't know. At least I can't. Perhaps Zeus can, he can look into cells, and sense the DNA. He and Hera. But they have never said anything about it. They have only expressed the caution with Ambrosia and pushed that we ought to be restrictive with it. After all a fair larger percentage of those who receive Ambrosia get killed from it."  
"How's that? The mutagen?"  
"No, it can trigger a lethal allergic reaction. It paralyzes the muscles, stops them from working. Including the heart of course. And thus – sayonara poor mortal!"

At those words there was a shadow flying over Hekate's face.  
"Eos, one of the Olympians tried to give Ambrosia to one of her lovers once. He died a horrid death."  
"How come you had it? Ares gave it to you, of course, but why?"  
"As I say we gods use it as an endurance drug. The only reason for me to have it was for me and my divine workers. When I understood it wouldn't kill you I took the chance that it would heal you, which it after all does in most cases."

"Hekate?"  
"Yeah?" 'Kat took her face off the screen again and looked at me, sensing the seriousness in my voice.  
"Now what?"  
"What do you mean 'now what'?"  
"What happens to me now?"  
"Actually, what do you want to happen?"

I looked into those vibrant dark eyes, so full of strength, wisdom and emotions, and I almost shuddered in the warm living room. For a few moments the only thing heard was the soft music of Sara Noxx streaming out from the Bang Olufsen surround system.  
"I'm not sure I know. Sure, Ares seems to want to turn me into an immortal – well something. Cop perhaps. But I'm not so certain I'm up to that."  
"Why not?"  
"I don't know anything about your society. I don't know what's expected of me, how to behave."  
"I'd be more than glad to help, Aidra. But to cut it simple – you can still go back to your old life. Well, almost. Continuing doing what you did before, working for the Scimitar. You know, we still have use for you. More than ever to be true. At the same time I guess when you get around a bit you'll see other opportunities open up for you everywhere. You could ask Ares if he has some general idea about where you can perform the best. He knows so many people. Inside the Pentagon, the FBI and Homeland Security and you name it. All kinds of security organizations. Secret Service. Norad. CIA. Outside the US as well to be true. Then on another note – you said once you weren't involved with someone."

"That's still correct."  
"But you have an original family."  
"Yeah, parents and a brother."  
"I think you should talk to them, tell what happened as soon as possible. You don't have to say much but tell them that there are immortals in the world and that you have become one by accident."  
"They'd probably think me insane or something. Or on drugs. My mother is a true Christian. She goes to church every Sunday and she really believes in the Word of the Bible. Dad is more – well, relaxed about those things."

"As long as it makes her happy..." Hekate begun without finishing her train of thoughts.  
"But how can I explain? Either they'll consider me ready for the straightjacket or mum will think I'm making fun of her believes. Do I have to tell?"  
"Yes you have. Aidra, eventually you'll have to tell them, and the sooner the better. Living in a lie is never a nice idea. It only makes you feel dirty and sad. Fooling the ones you love is never a good idea, even if you think it's an easier or kinder way out."  
"But what to say?"  
"You'll have to work that out for yourself, Aidra. It's you who know them, not I."

0000000000000

That evening I employed Hekate's wireless and looked up some Greek mythology stuff. I was certain that most of the things in the myths would range all over from exaggerations to complete fantasies, all the same I felt that it was good to know them. I had read about it in school of course but that had been eons ago, and during a time in my life when I was mostly interested in boys (especially a certain Mathew) so nothing had really stuck. Then there was TV show Xena Warrior Princess where I sort of remembered an Ares appearing now and then, even if what I mostly recalled was the discussion of Xena and her side-kick Gabrielle had been lesbian or not. Damn, some policewomen I knew had been chewing that subject 'till death. Then there were some movies like Troy, Hercules and Clash of the Titans.

Right now I wanted to go down to the sources and see what they held. Homer and those old guys. And it sure felt like nonsense most of the times:  
_* Athena – born from her father Zeus' forehead  
* Hephaestos – hurled down from Olympos for siding with his mother when his parents fought  
* Aphrodite – sleeping around with all the men available  
* Hades – being king of the underworld and abducting and raping his very own niece  
* Zeus and Hera – being sisters and brothers and yet married  
* Hermes – being fairly more than a toddler and already a cow thief- and if that wasn't enough, he had to go for the critters belonging to his half-brother Apollo  
* Apollo by the way – who ran after all those girls and never getting any. What was his problem? Bad breath?_

Sure the gossip magazines couldn't come up with better stories. For instance Zeus made Tiger Woods look like the matrimonial dream and his brother Poseidon and some of his sons seemed none the better. Then Ares was described as a blood thirsty dork who got his ass kicked by his half-sister Athena all the time. And the little there was about Hekate made her look like a really creepy being. In fact most of the gods of Greece came out as very unpleasant people, the kind you didn't really want to be around. People I'd consider reading the rights for if I had still held my old profession. Rape, murder, abuse, assault, blackmail, incest, kidnapping, warmongering, bribery – the list was seemingly endless. And no matter that these things had been 'everyday behaviour' back when those myths were told, I still was not sure I wanted to be associated with people with these track records.

On the other hand what was told about the Titan wars held only the rough correspondence to what Ares had described so I was not really expecting the rest of the stories to hold much truth. But what is a girl to believe? And just as with talking to mortal parents, there was no one I could ask.


	7. I kissed a god and I liked it

**I kissed a god and I liked it**

_The gods Xantos and Ishiro are invented just for this story and not part of any mythology. Proioxis and Palioxis are two war daemons of unknown parentage from the Greek mythology and in my story I made them Ares' daughters. _

"It's only a minor grouping," Ares said. "But it's their first foothold on the main North American continent. Not counting Cuba of course where they have been active for quite some time. It was after all they who put the tyrant Castro on the throne. But if we can root out these Neotitans we now have our eyes upon, they are off the US and the whole mainland continent and they'll have to start all over and that might take some time."

We were gathered in 'The War Room' – a large room at the second floor of Ares' apartment. It was filled with a lot of hi-tech stuff and with maps all over the place, world maps, maps over the US and over New York state, over Connecticut, where those Neotitans were located and over various other corners of the world including South Africa, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Viet Nam and Latvia. And city maps over New York, Hong Kong, Saint Petersburg, London, Washington DC, Tokyo and several other places. Nothing of Greece though, and I wondered how important 'The Old Country' really was to these people. After all I have hardly heard it being mentioned save for in random sub-clauses.

And 'we' in this case were Ares, Hekate, Phobos and I. Then there were four more of Ares' children, the sons Deimos and Ishiro and the identical twins daughters Proioxis and Palioxis, tall and striking mulatto ladies. Upon seeing them I felt convinced I'd never be able to tell them apart, especially since both of them were dressed in black jeans and ditto turtleneck jerseys. Finally there was this tough lady called Bia, who reminded me of The Bride in Kill Bill in her red biker's leathers and short-cropped, yellowish blond hair. She was eyeing Hekate as if there was some old grudge going on between these two, but I had no idea what that could be about. Hekate herself in turn looked like she couldn't care less. She was totally focused upon the God of War where she stood hands on hips in her trademark all black outfit.

"So we're taking them?" Bia said, almost unable to hide the glee in her voice. As if she was getting a kick out of fighting. I knew the kind from back in the corps, the hot heads who you more or less always had to restrain. As police officer Marc Harris, Ares had been very careful with that kind, wary that their desire to rush ahead with blazing guns, as if they were in some Sylvester Stallone movie, could cause bad press for the corps. With a good reason, my own demise had come just after shooting a demented drug dealer. Not just any drug dealer, mind you, but the pot-headed son of a senator. At the same time, this was different, this was a hidden arena, far away from the prying eyes of the world – and at the same time much more lethal. This was a hidden war within a war and even if some journalist would learn about it, the story would be impossible to publish anywhere – save for perhaps in the National Enquirer.

"Of course we're taking them." Ares replied. "I have the plan already laid out. And since we're a bit short of people because of the situation down in Guatemala, we'll be getting reinforcement from Athena's group, they are mostly sitting on their asses down in Africa at the moment."  
"And Hercules' group?" Deimos asked. He was as dark and handsome as Ares and Phobos, but with grayish blue eyes instead of dark brown.  
"Still in a deadlock against Grimdar in Russia. They can't do much without risking too many mortals there at the moment. And the forests are still burning, thanks to Grimdar's latest little diversion, so I guess we won't be hearing that much news from them in a while."  
"Who's coming up from Athena's?" Phobos wanted to know.  
"Nike. And Xantos is returning back to us. They'll be here tonight. And then I'd like you to know that we have a new recruit. Aidra is a former police officer and she used to work under my mortal alter ego of officer Harris."

Bia looked me over:  
"Does she have what it takes?" she asked without any politeness towards me in her unusually deep voice.  
"She has," Ares assured, glancing over to me. "I have trained her myself, first in the corps and now as a divine fighter."  
"For how long, five days?" Bia went on. "Ares, can we really count on her? I don't really want to carry away a magically wounded..."  
"Hey!" I snapped, suddenly annoyed. "I am sitting right here, I'm not deaf and I do understand English!"  
"Aidra, you..." Hekate began while Bia was saying something with a sourly voice at the same time.  
"Aidra's coming with us, Bia, and that's the end of it." Ares cut us all off. "This is after all not some kind of Kronos' headquarter we're going up against, but a minor stronghold, the Neotitan's first advancement into the North American continent. Minor but important. And I expect Aidra to do a good job. She's been a field police officer for more than fifteen years, she know what it takes, and she's got it."

"But what if..." Bia began but Palioxis cut her off.  
"Will you shut it already?" she protested. "If dad says she has it, she does, end of story."

I looked with thankful eyes over at Ares' daughter. Ever since I had learned of the dire danger the world was in, I had wanted to do my thing to help. One way or another I figured I could make a difference, if just a trivial one. I didn't care about theology and mythology at the moment, I just wanted to do what I could to make the world a better place. As I always had. When I declared my intent, Ares had accepted my offer. After all he knew me from the corps. He knew that I never backed down when the going got tough, he knew that I was a fast thinker and that I was seldom afraid. He knew my weaknesses as well, that I tended to be impulsive from time to time, that I could take too great risks and that I more than once had let the end motivate the means. Like blowing up a ten million dollar yacht to get at a shipment of cocaine once or bugging the N.Y. apartment of one of the most respectable movie directors in Hollywood with more than one Academy Award collecting dust on the shelves.

On the other hand had I been a part of revealing that 'aid' organization which was just a big money laundry business for the mob and I had prevented an informer from getting his head blown off just the week before I had to quit. Ares considered me having what it took, and I sure trusted his judgment.

"So how are we doing this?" Ishiro asked. He had obviously Asian looks, bit shorter and leaner, like a 21:th century samurai. Thus I was not surprised to learn that his mother was Japanese. What surprised me more was the braid he had on his left side of the otherwise short cut raven hair. It made him look like a Jedi Padawan. Later Palioxis told me that it was actually Lucas who had created the Padawan look inspired by this very god, although he hadn't known who Ishiro was when he had met him back in the seventies.

"Listen, this the plan..." The God of War began.

ooooooooooooooo

We were riding a van to that little jerkwater town in north-western Connecticut. By flying we would emit divine powers which could be picked up by the magic tracers, Ares had told me. Just like vehicles on a radar. But in the van we would appear just like any mortals on the road. During the trip across the rain wet landscape I went over the discussion with my parents, what I had said to them and how they had reacted. It sure hadn't been an easy confrontation. First I had been thinking of saying something along the line that I had got a job with a secret governmental organization, then I had decided that settling for the truth was the best I could do. The problem had been how to break it without turning it into a gas lamp fantasy story?

I had started with talking about that movie Percy Jackson and then told that even if that story was fiction the ancient gods were alive and well, walking around us mortals, using every day mortal names and life stories as covers. I told about how they still did what they always had done, taking care of people the way they could. I told about Marc Harris, who my father had met, explained who he really was. That was the moment when at least Daddy had started to believe in me.  
"I always thought there was something special with that young man," father said. "He appeared so much older than his age, so much wizened. The things he could say about war, like he had seen it all."

It hadn't turned them around of course, I had to give more proofs, I begun to tell them about other divine works I had learned about, how the outbreak the Pig Flue had suddenly died out, never becoming the lethal epidemic everyone had feared and how that Icelandic volcano had been quenched. The one that stopped all the air traffic in Europe with its ash clouds for weeks and then threatened to erupt and take the little island kingdom with it down in the waters, like some modern Atlantis. Mother had gone theological of course and I had replied with that no one knew for sure if there was an intelligent creation force in the universe or not, but that the existence of a plethora of Earthling gods didn't contradict such a being. On top of that those gods held real proofs that there had been a man called Jesus Christ and that he had more or less said what the Bible claimed he had said.  
"He talked about love and understanding," I explained." And that's nothing which my new employers have anything against, on the very contrary, they too want to help. Besides a few of them were there listening, although they had no idea of the coming importance of that man back then."

Finally I had told about the event on the Broadway theatre and what I had become. While doing so, I had shown some divine stunts like walking in the air and handling hot kettles with my bare hands. That had been it. My parents had sworn to hold their tongue, even towards my brother who I wanted to tell myself when he got home the next time. After that I had got their blessing and wishes of luck. Thus a heavy weight had fallen from my heart and I was ready to turn the page and enter the next phase in my life.

oooooooooooooo

"So you were the cop who blew the head off that scumbag senator's son?" Bia asked. After learning about my 'former life' she seemed to respect me slightly more. She had learned that I was not a coward or rookie. At least not in the mortal world, and that counted for something with the blond amazon, we had all been newbies after all.  
"Yes. I had no clue that he was the son of Uriel Nantes at that time."  
"Would it had stopped you if you'd known?" Bia asked.  
"No. It was my friends Molly and Rick on the line. And Molly's unborn baby. It was either them or Mr. drug dealing Clifford Nantes. And in my world that made the choice easy. I'd do it again. Any day."  
"Even if you know your job was in jeopardy?"  
"Yes, Bia. Even that."

"Then lass, Ares was right. You have what it takes. I admit that I have never seen you in action, but you have the right attitude. You're sure one of us."  
"Thanks Bia!"  
"Don't thank me for chaos' sake, lass! I didn't give you nothin'!"

All right, my life might be different now, at the same time it still felt very much the same. To be true, at least the start of this operation felt like just another task with the corps. Only with different people. But Ares was there and these immortal gods were in more way than one of the same breed as my old colleagues. Tough, smart and no-nonsense people who believed in what they were doing and who were not afraid of getting their hands dirty. It was the same kind of peep talk and bad jokes going on around me. Ishiro was teasing Deimos about some girl and Hekate was telling stock pile Titan jokes. Or what I guessed being stock pile at least. There were Nike, who turned out to be Bia's sister and who was exchanging war stories with her sister. Nike was about an inch shorter than Bia and had slightly darker hair and a smaller, bit of pointy nose, otherwise they were very much alike. They and their brothers Zelos and Kratos had been with the Olympians for more than 4000 years now.

Ares didn't' say much and neither did Phobos, the latter because he was driving. Meanwhile Ares was making notes in the same kind of blue notebooks he used as Marc Harris. As we were heading north New York disappeared behind us, the landscape got more and more rural, and then the sun sank in the west and darkness folded itself around us like a woolen blanket. A darkness where less and less lights were seen. Less signs of civilization as if we were heading out in nothing, or at least a land where magic and sprites existed beside what things I normally took for granted. We had stopped for a short break by one of the last gas pumps before our destination and as Phobos filled up the van we lined up for the bathroom. When I got out Hekate and Bia was arguing but they stopped when I arrived and I wondered if I for some reason was the cause of the discussion, but then I chose to disregard it. It was not important at the moment. The upcoming battle was what mattered.

ooooooooooooooo

We stopped at a dead end graveled road about a mile or so from our destination and retrieved our weapon and other appliances. Deimos and I had been dealt some kind of magic equivalents to grenades and our duty was to get ahead of the rest of the force, throw these inside of windows and then to retreat rapidly and join the rest for the break in.  
"Ares," I asked and took his arm before we headed off on foot. "You told us to get the Titans but to spare the mortals."  
"Yes, these poor souls are nothing but pawns in this evil game. They know nothing about it and should if possible be spared, there's no reason to kill or harm any of them."  
"But how do I tell the Titans from the mortals?"  
"Just as you tell gods from mortals. By their aural signature. Neotitan mortals are quite different from human mortals, although their immortals are more like us. After all they do hail from the original Titans. Back then, before the mutations started in earnest, the difference used to be political, not biological. However you won't find any Titan mortals here, just their deadless ones. Too early in the game for them to risk their mortals, I guess."  
"True," I nodded, aware that some of the members of Olympos including Prometheus and Hyperion had been Titans. As well as Zeus' own father. But he was not Kronos as the myths told. He had just been a minor, although powerful actor, who had died early in the war, mostly caused by bad luck than anything else.

As we advanced through the thick forest, my mind went to that part of the internet Hekate had showed me when I talked about my myth surfing. The members-only Olympian intranet. There was a wiki telling all I ever needed to know about the immortal world. About ambrosia and about ichor – a rare protein-like compound found in immortal blood and which heightened the body's healing abilities. About special, magically cordoned off parts of the world where immortals dwelt or hid secrets. About the special research labs on the backside of the moon and about the contacts with the Eseraphimes and Nephilimes, alien races of immortals. And the truths about all kinds of conspiracies and mysteries on earth. I now knew why Kennedy was shot, where the Holy Grail resided, who the Man With the Iron Mask had been, what was hidden at Area 51 and where the real Atlantis had been. To mention a few things.

Then there was also a Facebook equivalent where I could read almost all there was about the Olympians. Pages belonging from everyone from Zeus to Hekate's son Aquitainos who lived and worked in Hollywood. Not to mention the truth about the myths.  
_* Athena – Her mother Metis was married to Zeus but divorced, taking Athena with her, then Athena returned to her father's home in her late teens  
* Hephaestos – yes he had been pushed off a mountain edge by his angered father, but these things happened more or less all the time, since a fall never harmed any god, only hurt their pride a bit  
* Aphrodite – yes it was true that she was a slut, she still is apparently  
* Hades – he's a necromancer, he had a relation with Persephone for some centuries and she's not his niece  
* Zeus and Hera – they weren't related, 'sister' and 'brother' was and is still often used as an endearment  
* Hermes – the little attention seeker was fifteen when he stole some of Apollo's cattle and hid it in a cave  
* Apollo – yes, he flirts with all the nymphs there is, of course there are those some who are hard to get_

I don't know what I had expected from the Neotitans' headquarter, perhaps some Transylvanian castle out of a horror movie with dark, foreboding, gothic architecture and a million of candles and torches burning everywhere. The castle of Dracula meeting Hogwarts perhaps. But no, this was a typical New England manor surrounded by buildings which looked like stables and barns. There was something looking like a small church or a shrine and there was a large antenna north of the manor, and what appeared to be a landing pod for helicopters. As planned Deimos and I advanced first with those grenades and on a signal from Ares' son we stopped in front of the manor. There were lights on in only a few windows and the place felt silent, as if almost everyone inside was sound asleep.

"No need to hit the wings," Deimos said. "There's only mortals in there. But in the major building there's full of 'em."  
"Titans?"  
"Yeah."  
"Then what are we waiting for?" My darkness vision showed Deimos' wicked grin, that was enough as a reply and together we started to throw those steely golf ball sized items, aiming at the windows. I've never been good at throwing things earlier, but with my new divine powers I could both aim and throw long and hard. I should be in baseball!

In front of us we heard windows break. First there was nothing more, and I feared that the 'golf balls' were not working. The next thing I noted was green energy starting to bulge out from first one window then from several others in what looked like large, luminescent bubbles, filled with glittering little smudges and splotches. After that the walls seemed to shiver and strange orange lights were seen, almost as if the place was on fire, although what I was seeing was not flames but something else, something more steady shining and expanding. It was then all Tartarus broke lose. From inside we heard screams and crashes and then a kind of siren started to sound.  
"Come, we're regrouping, letting the others arrive," Deimos said and grabbed my ankle and I followed him back. Not a second too late, the attack was repealed from the inside. Blue fireballs came flying at us from shattered windows and from a balcony on the second floor. The next second Hekate and that guy Xantos were next to us. The latter was a huge African with a gilded mohawk and large, equally golden earrings. He looked tough and mean and he was armed with an ancient looking war axe and a kind of machete.

I turned around and followed my new colleagues as we advanced towards a mob spilling out from the double doors of the entrance, down sandstone steps and out on the graveled front yard. Now regular gunshots were heard. Gunshots and then the sound of machine guns as well. Ares had told me that in divine fights bullets were hardly any good, if they weren't Adamantine coated. And since that matter was extremely rare, it was not to be used in bullets. Adamantine was the only matter which could break through immortal shielding and thus harm and even kill a deity. Thus I had left the gun behind and Ares had taught me how to use a medieval broadsword. Five days' fencing lessons didn't sound like a lot, not when facing these goons that came running against us. However Ares had been a good teacher, and he knew that I had taken some fencing lessons in my youth and built upon that. Thus the kendo-like attacks I made now had my opponents backing off, two of them falling badly hurt.

Then we were trough and following Xantos I rushed inside the double doors, one of them off its hinges. As I broke into the large manor I could see that the magic grenades were still at work here and it was slowly ripping the building apart, slicing it into pieces atom by atom. And the construction didn't collapse; it just ceased to exist, bit by bit in long rippling strands, as if you tore wallpaper off a wall. Behind me stormed the twins Proioxis and Palioxis, and they advanced fast like twisters, striking out with their blades and cutting down Titans as if they were grass.  
"We must seize the Powerstone!" Xantos called and started up a large staircase which ascended ahead of us as we entered into a large hall. Apparently the tar black god had located it. The Powerstone was a kind of crystal which was used to enhance the magic abilities of a larger group through some kind of wave emittance. I knew very little about these things but it was apparently vital to get hold on that object. Since Xantos had the ability to locate similar things by tracing the waves, it had become his mission to get it. And because Hekate and I were following him we made it our mission to cover him as he advanced.

Most of the staircase was destructing now, but there were enough left of the construction for us to be able to jump from one step to the next, skipping the lost ones, without really having to fly up. Then we were in a long corridor where the next batch of Neotitans came running. Here it was a bit harder to fight than in the open, but I managed to stab my first adversary and stop the next one by grabbing a lamp on a stand and smash it into her head. She wasn't that sturdy for an immortal, she bit the dust in an instance. Not dead, but unconscious, and I jumped over her and finished the next Titan coming at me. Then the rest turned and fled, but it wasn't because we were so terrible, it was because the floor suddenly disappeared beneath us. I almost lost my footing out of surprise, but Hekate grabbed me in the last moment with her free hand, as the unconscious Titans fell with the rubble beneath us.

"Forward, this way!" Xantos bellowed and we raced up one more flight of stairs and trough another long corridor. This place was slightly less destroyed, probably because it was higher up. It also appeared deserted, only a dead mortal could be seen, a girl hardly 18 with a bullet wound in her chest. A part of my brain, the one who still was a cop, wondered for a fraction of a second what had caused her to be killed, none of us were using regular guns and would shoot at any mortals. Some kind of internal fighting among the Neotitans or their mortal associates perhaps. I suspected I would never know.

I followed Xantos to the end of the building and then through a door to one of the wings. The floor there was about a metre below and there was a short staircase down to it however we simply jumped down it. Here even less of the destruction of the buildings was seen, only small cracks in the structure. Some mortar was coming down from the ceiling as the structure shook under heavy booming impacts which may be more of those golf ball grenades of ours.  
"Here!" Xantos informed as he put his shoulder to a bolted door and forced it open.

Yes, there it was sitting, the aquamarine, shining crystal inserted into a kind of golden holder wielded to a stone altar of a kind in the middle of an oddly insignificant chamber. The Powerstone. It was pulsing slowly, like a police car's bluelight spinning in slow-mo. And between us and our capture were seven or eight mean-looking Titans with drawn curved blades shining with almost the same kind blue light. Adamantine.  
"Uh-oh," I could hear Hekate next to me.

"Okay put down your weapon and no one will be harmed," said Xantos with an almost annoying cockiness.  
"Hear what the pot is calling the kettle!" replied one of the Neotitans, an almost albino-like hulk of a man with mean yellow eyes in an overly beautiful face. "Then again them niggas have never been good at math so three to nine might be too hard to him."

The next second they were over us and as I stabbed one of the Titans I felt something cold and sharp entering my right side followed by an enormous pain. The next second again large parts of the floor disappeared from under us, taking Xantos, Hekate and most of the Titans with it. Now I was alone with two of the enemies in the room. And with the pulsating crystal. Thus I still had to get through them to get it. On top of that I was continuing to bleed from my wound; the Adamantine had prevented it from starting to heal. It was all I could to not cry out in pain. As the Neotitans attacked I ducked and rolled down on the floor, avoiding them and as I fell I grabbed another weapon of mine, a tiny Adamantine knife. That one I threw, on such a short distance I just couldn't miss. Right, that one buried itself into the thigh of one of the Titans who screamed and grabbed for it, pulling it out with an enormous effort of stamina.

At the same time I leaped up into a standing position again, warding off the other enemy. As the first one came at us with my knife as a weapon I ducked and smashed my scull in the solar plexus of the second one. Yes, I had calculated right, that Titan fell right upon the first one's knife and they were both down for a few seconds. Those I didn't waste but grabbed the shining blue Powerstone and pried it loose from the altar. When the Titans attacked me again I tumbled the altar against them together with some real bad derogatives I had learned in the New York streets. That didn't go down well of course and they came at me once again and I struggled backwards, now the wound in my side was really starting to take its toll.

Once again I was saved by the bell. Or rather a falling floor taking with it both me and the Titan duo. With all I might I held on to the Powerstone though and I heard myself scream as I fell. Then I hit the floor beneath me and the impact hurt as if every bone in my body had shattered. Nevertheless I still held on to the Powerstone, although when my injured body rolled several times on the hard floor I had to let go of the crystal and it rolled ahead of me like a beckoning lavender dream, a bluelight of hope in a surreal hell of fire and explosions.

Then it stopped just in front of a pair of huge, dark biker boots and came to rest there. As I looked on a glowed hand bent down and picked up the crystal.  
"So there you are, Ares' little new recruit." A graveled voice was saying as the tip of an Adamantine katana was poking lightly as my chin. "Not so tough now are we...?" In response I tightened my eyes shut...

The next second a claw of iron grabbed my upper arm.  
"Get up, lass!" Now I recognized Bia's voice. "We're out of here now."  
"I... Bia, I'm... hurt."

Now the goddess saw my injury and she quickly handed me the crystal again and instead she tore off her left glove with her teeth and laid her now bared hand at my side and with a sense of unbelievable relief I could feel the sucking discomfort as the wound began to heal.  
"Can't do any better at the moment, time is dire, you'll have to ask 'Kat to see it later. Come now!"

Then Bia almost dragged me out of the room and towards the exit. A quick glance behind me revealed three dead bodies on the floor, and I hoped none were ours.

oooooooooooooooooooo

"Aidra you did well," Ares said as I was sitting at the cold sandstone stairs which used to lead up to the entrance to the Titan's manor while Hekate was finishing healing my wound. Palioxis and Proioxis were also sitting with us, the latter was pouring and handing out hot coffee from a thermos. The whole building was now either gone or on fire, casting orange light over all and everything.  
"I did?"  
"Not great but good." The War God went on. "It was awesome of you to capture the Powerstone but it was less smart to enter a room with nine Titans in, you should have created a diversion instead and lured at least some of them out."  
"Look, Ares we didn't know there were that many in the room," I defended myself.  
"You could have found out beforehand using your scanning abilities. And then Aidra, I expect you to defend yourself a bit better in the future so you won't get injuries like this again. They delay us. But the first mistake I blame as much on Xantos' recklessness. He was leading you, he ought to have stopped in time. I'll have a word with him later as well. Now, here's Ishiro, Xantos and Deimos with all the collected Adamantine. We're going home."

"The mortals..." I began, eyeing the group of scared people who stood in various state of night dressing, some with belongings in their arms and others clutching the hands of crying children. They were looking at the raging fires which Deimos had started as a diversion. The mortals weren't seeing us since we were coated in a shield of invisibility, a kind of magic lens which warped the light around us. That made me wonder how many times I had been looking right at gods and other beings without seeing them in my 'former' life.  
"They'll be taken care of." Xantos said behind me. At that moment I became aware of the well-known rising and falling sound of sirens, and a few moments later flashing lights could be seen between the trees. The fire brigade and the police were on their way.  
"The only thing they'll find is a regular fire and perhaps the burnt remnants of some twenty corpses inside the manor." Ishiro pointed out. "Further research will reveal an electrical fault as the cause of the fire and then the case will become closed and forgotten in some dusty archive. I guess you all know the drill, including Aidra."  
"I do," I nodded my head, while noting the sarcasm in my voice, directed not at the Olympian but at American bureaucracy.

At the moment the cars pulled up in front of the burning manor Hekate removed her hand from my now healed side.  
"Let's get out of here!"

Seeing her, Palioxis, Proioxis, Ares, Bia, Deimos, Ishiro and Xantos I asked:  
"Where's Phobos and Nike."  
"They've taken the van back home." Ares replied. "With the Powerstone and all the rest of the gadgets mortals can't be let to see. Now it's After War at my place."

oooooooooooooooooooo

The raid hadn't taken more than just over an hour, no matter that it felt as if I had been fighting for an eternity. Thus it was still in the middle of the night when we returned to Manhattan. As agreed we all gathered together at Ares' for what I learned was the traditional After War - almost the same thing as after work, but not at a bar or a pub but in somebody's living room. After all you can't sit in a bar and talk about how many Titans you emptied the bowels of. Not even in New York. Instead we all slumped down in the sofas of Ares' living room and drank wine and beer and wound down. That sure was a surreal experience, I thought. I didn't know what was more bizarre, the detail that I had killed some 50 sentient beings that night, more than most people do in their entire lifetime, or that I was sitting here with a group of new found friends and colleagues and discussing these killings as if it had been nothing more than a computer game. Or if it was just the very concept 'After-War' which was the real weird thing.

A few hours later the dawn began to colour the sky, and I felt how tiredness caught up with me when the adrenaline influx shut down. When I stood up and bid my good nights with the aim of returning home in my mind, Ares walked me out in the hallway and laid his hand upon my arm:  
"A few words, Aidra?"  
"Yes?"  
"Don't take Bia's scorn too hard. That's just the way she is. A Freddy Link in female form." Ares said, comparing her to a former colleague who was always pestering the newbies in the NYPD. "And no one expected you to perform perfect tonight. You were after all a first timer. I'm more displeased with Xantos' goof which put both you and 'Kat in jeopardy. But we will continue your fencing lessons."

Then Ares reached inside his jacked and out of an inner pocket he produced a key-ring with some keys upon. Handing it to me he went on:  
"This goes to a lower Manhattan flat in the building across the street from Hekate. It's yours from now on."  
"Ares, you don't need to..."  
"Consider it risk bonus. Then it's more convenient to have all of you more or less gathered. Manhattan is often considered a no-flight zone, due to all the chaos magic going on in the area. And you too know the traffic in this town. So tomorrow – day off, start packing!"  
"Thanks Ares!"

Then the God of War placed his arms around my waist and pulled me towards himself.  
"Pleasure is mine!" When he said that his deep voice had become somewhat thick and husky. The next moment he leaned towards me and kissed my surprised lips. I had thought myself being killed earlier that night. Instead I was being kissed. And kissing back. I kissed a god and I liked it.


	8. Moving House

**Moving House**

We had made one more raid like the one in Connecticut, this time against a gathering in southern California, where apparently the Neotitans had put up an independent headquarter, as a try to divert us gods in the US of A. This grouping called themselves 'The Church of Power' and were aiming at becoming high profiled by recruiting Hollywood stars. Their front had been an outlandish blend between Jedis, Jews, Wiccas and Gnostic Christians and they had been rambling about having in their possession a lot of presumingly lost documents regarding Jesus Christ's early life and early Christianity. Documents, which were said to have been lost with the arson of the Library of Alexandria. But which, according to their gospel, had really been retrieved and hidden by the Vatican and later 'liberated' from the Catholic Centre by 'seekers of the real truth'. The usual new age mumbo-jumbo in other words. All of it made up as a front for another Neotitanic brain washing centre.

We didn't have Nike with us in this raid, since she had to go back to Athena in South Africa. Instead we used Gyges and two gods called Polemos and Kyknos who was yet another couple of sons of Ares. The latter turned out to be the one I had thought was called Kick Nose on the night of my apotheosis. That expression had evoked a lot of laughter and Kyknos had received a new nickname, something he actually didn't seem to mind. With us was also a goddess called Palaistra, a tomboy-looking redhead athlete who was a daughter of Hermes and used to be the protector of martial art competitions during more peaceful times. Now she looked like something out of a Chinese historical action movie.

This time I had managed to perform better in the sense that I didn't get injured or misjudged situations badly. I hadn't retrieved any Powerstones either, I had 'just' struck down plenty of Neotitans and hoarded some Adamantine. In a way this task had been harder because these Titans lived more scattered and in a neighborhood with a lot of mortals around. As a consequence the battle had become more like a plot of assassin attacks rather than a clean-cut invasion. We had gone in against our enemies two by two and I had been teamed up with Bia of all people, something both she and I had more or less grumbled about. I was still not over her snidy comments about my injury on the way back from Connecticut. Still Ares had his reasons, perhaps he wanted to teach us to cooperate and although these raids might be imperative, they weren't that hazardous. Bia and I had broken into three posh villas and killed their Neotitan inhibitors. The mortals who was around were simply put to sleep using magic and then Bia had inflicted some hypnosis upon them making them forget that they had even been in the very house the same night. Finally all mortal DNA had been removed. Everything to avoid tying any innocent people to those killings. Then of course no sane person would utter a single word about being in the place, not when it became a homicide scene.

Okay, so the LAPD would have some thirty unexplainable murders on their hands, all performed the same night and all against high profiled leaders of an up and coming cult. I almost felt sorry for the police officers, they would never be able to solve these crimes. Still I couldn't even begin to understand how the minds of those Neotitan beings worked. They planned to mentally enslave millions of human mortals, starting at various vital points in society like entertainment industries and university areas (that had been the aim for the Connecticut branch, the universities Harvard and MIT in the neighbour state Massachusetts) and then probably striking against political centres like Washington DC and the United Nations in New York. The plans were apparently similar on other continents. Everything to get back at some gods who had overthrown a genetic ancestor. An ancestor who had been nothing but an outright tyrant. So many innocent were planned to become used and abused just so the Titans could exact their revenge.

With that in mind it had been easier to follow Bia on our three breaks and enters. Bia and I had started by a well-guarded two-storey villa at the outskirts of a fancy gated society. The electric alarms were no big deal, the right kind of magic could quench electric current. The magic alarms were a bit harder, but even for those we had ways. Special quick incantations rendered them harmless for a period of half an hour. We didn't think we would need longer than that. After rendering the alarms inoperative we turned us selves invisible and scaled the high walls.

"Dogs!" I whispered as soon as I felt the canine presences down in the garden.  
"No prob'," Bia responded and for the first time I saw her using that 'lullaby stunt' of hers. As we jumped down in the grass I spotted one snoring form under a tree and another one a bit away. Dark, huge Alsatians, almost wolf-sized. Even if they weren't able to harm us they would sure have wakened up half the neighborhood had they not been put out of action.

Quickly we skipped over the sprinkler-wet grass, rounded a pool where green light reflected against marble pillars, creating an illusion of ancient Greece that made Bia muttering something under her breath. Then it was my time to prove my value. With a tiny skeleton key I picked up the lock to the terrace door in less than 30 seconds. Much smoother than a magic break-in, and less notable as well.  
"Thought you was a cop in your 'former life'. Not a burglar," Bia commented.  
"Know thy enemy." I returned and tried to keep the snide out of my voice.

Then we were inside and following the patterns of living beings we ascended a flight of stairs and entered a bedroom with a sleeping form. The first kill had been easy enough but the next one had been warned in spite of all our precautions and was attacking us with the speed of light, wielding a rapier of Adamantine as well as a dagger of the same material. Bia dived in for a kill and had to duck for the swinging blade and I didn't hesitate, in spite of my bad angle I intercepted the Titan and had her down in a second, severing the hand that held the blade and following up with a karate kick against the Titan's unguarded neck. Our enemy slumped in an instance and Bia was rolling out almost form under her and then she became attacked by a newly arrived Titan.

"Behind you!" she yelled at me and I spun around and managed to rise my blade just in time to block the stroke from the third Titan, the first male one.  
"Two broads" he laughed as he attacked me with brute force, "is that the best Ares can do these days? Then he won't last long. I'm almost disappointed in the old Greek."  
"You a salesman?" I grunted as the thug pushed me backwards.  
"Huh?"  
"You blab as much as one!"

The next second I stumbled over the fallen Titan who was trying to rise and grow out her hand at the same time. As I tripped and fell I felt fear and despair flush out adrenaline in my veins again, and as a stroke of luck I managed to find that cut off hand with the Adamantine dagger. When I rolled aside from the male's fierce stroke of his sword I grabbed the dagger and slashed it into the side of him, trying to twist it around and make as much harm as possible. When the 'salesman' cried out loud I was on my feet and used a kick in his butt to tumble him over his female companion. The next second Bia was beheading him and then she finished the one handed Titan as well. Her own adversary was already lying death on the floor to my right.

"Good work," Bia said. Then it came: "But lass, you need to look around a bit more to see what's going on by your flanks. Never let one enemy take your whole attention unless you are dead sure that's the only one."  
"Name's Aidra, Bia! Write it down!"  
"Hey, no need to be snidy. We've all.."

"Hold it!" a voice cut us off. A mortal with a gun. It seemed almost laughable. Bia put him asleep and caught him as he was falling and I picked up the Titan's Adamantine. Then Bia searched the brain of the mortal and apparently she found an address that was 'home' for the young man, because in the next moment he was gone, transported away somewhere.  
"Okay – Aidra – we're done here. Let's move on!"

I made a face, but I followed Bia, thinking that next time I was definitely going to tell Ares that I really desired another companion than this superior complex ridden chick. I sure didn't give a damn that she was some 4000 plus years old and had been in more fights than there were Catholics in the Vatican, I definitely didn't need to listen to her putting me down all the time.

The same evening we took out two more Titan nests in more or less the same manner as the first one, cleaning them of every molecule of our DNA as we left. With a part of my mind I tried to get my brain around the fact that I had killed more foes in less than two months than ordinary people went to death row for. Then I reminded myself that this was a war and just like in the trenches of WWI or jungles of Viet Nam it was a dog eat dog world and you either killed or bit the dust yourself. On top of that this secret war we fought was about whom the future of this planet really belonged to. The Titans who wanted to become ruling slavemasters over humanity or the gods who wanted to see the mortal majority living in as much freedom and peace as possible.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

After these raids were done, we got a few days off. Days which I decided to spend moving house, leaving my muggy old two room rental behind and really claim that awesome space Ares had bought for me. Just the living room was larger than my old flat, with parquet flooring, newly white painted walls, a really high ceiling and a large window opening up to a terrace with a Manhattan view which was definitely in class with Hekate's. Then there was a kitchen with all modernities you can wish for and then some like a wine storage and an ice machine. There was a dining room, a room which I decided to use for office and library (not that I had that may books, mind you, but I've always dreamt of having a library. And it was never too late to start collecting, especially not since I could look forward to that extremely long divine life now.) Then there was a large bedroom with a walk-in closet and an adjacent bathroom, that one also came with whatever you might wish for in shiny white and pink marble and designer faucets and pulleys. And if that wasn't enough, there also was a sauna, even if I doubted I was going to use it a lot.

Beside the bedroom was a large room which I decided to turn into my dojo. As a divine warrior I really felt I was going to need a fancy room for exercising and battle training. Then there was a guest room which also had its own bathroom and finally a small laundry room and a storage room. All of these rooms were now waiting for me to put my marks on them, so as soon as I was done walking around and making small squeals of ecstasy, I took up my phone and called Hekate, telling what I was going to do.  
"Want some help?" the goddess of chaos magic asked.  
"Yeah, that would be nice," I answered seeing the two of us carrying cardboard boxes and making a face when picturing the heavy work waiting for us.  
"Then we're coming!" she said and it wasn't until we had finished the call I began to wonder who on Earth 'we' were in this case.

However I got an answer to that quickly enough. When Hecate arrived she had Deimos, Phobos, Xantos, Proioxis and Palioxis in tow. They all looked like they expected a house warming party, rather than a move, where they spilled into my flat, casually dressed and chatting endlessly, the ancient and disciplined warriors transformed into urban slackers as by a stroke of magic.  
"Eh," I said as they all gathered around me. "All my stuff is still at my old place and it needs to be moved here."  
"Where is that?" Deimos asked and I gave him the address, and begun to say that we would probably have to rent a small truck or something. But I didn't get a chance to finish before Deimos and Xantos disappeared with two pops of inrushing air. Now, this teleportation thing, I was still not used to it, and it made me a bit uncomfortable.

"We need no lorry," Phobos stated and laughed. Then he concentrated, apparently he was talking to Xantos and his brother in my old place, and the next moment things begun to appear. Slowly first and then faster and faster, lining up themselves with small popping sounds all over my living room. Furniture grouped together the way they had stood in my old place, the book shelf still with its books, movies and records in, clothes still on their hangers stacking themselves neatly on the sofa and the bed, kitchen utensils piled upon the kitchen shelves and all those small knick-knacks ending up all over the place.  
"Oh my!" I exclaimed as a row of shoes almost began to chase me, and I jumped to the side, nearly colliding with Proioxis, who together with her sister were mercilessly reviewing the containment in the book shelf. (I was glad I had gotten rid of the most embarrassing stuff, like the chick lit books and those boy band records which honestly made me barf these days.)

But the twins were going over my collection of Asian martial art movies, giggling loudly and in the end I asked them:  
"What? Having a problem with a girl watching Kung Fu flicks?"  
"No, but it's like – ALL war gods have those!" Palioxis said. "Including yours truly. I have ten times as many to be true."  
"And you weren't even a war god when you got those," Proioxis added as she put back another vintage Bruce Lee film.  
"Ten times as many?" I said disbelieving, noting that the frequency of arriving things were starting to dwindle. There came a wall clock and a half-dead palm tree. There came my old TV-set, the ironing board, a pile of mail and some plastic bags with spare light bulbs and toilet paper. And finally my cabinet with shooting competition trophy's. Then the gods themselves were back, a bit tired and smiling.  
"Missing anything, Aidra?" Xantos asked and looked around at all the things.  
"Nah, not really. I didn't even realize I had so much junk. Where did you find that lava lamp?"  
"In a kitchen cabinet," Xantos told.  
"Whew, I actually forgot I had one!" I grinned.

"We took out the trash and the old papers for you," Deimos said. "And we left behind some things we don't think you really want anymore. Like a phone book from 2007 and a broken mirror in a closet."  
"Oh, that one!" I blushed, it had been too heavy for me to carry down to the trash room, and I had planned to ask my brother or someone to help me with it, but then I had forgotten all about it. Now I could probably have moved it on my own, using my divine powers – if I had remembered the thing that was."

"So that was the hard work," Deimos said. "Now let's start with the fine tuning. As in where do you want everything."  
"Look, she's got all those Kung Fu movies," Palioxis insisted.  
"Haven't we covered that now?" I sighed and the coloured goddess laughed.  
"I was in one of these films," Phobos said and took out one I hadn't watched in ages. Some kind of Korean dystopian thing.  
"You were?" I turned to him, actually interested.  
"Yeah, as a fighter stunt man for the bad guy. It was actually really fun. You should try it one day."  
"He's lying," Deimos said. "He had to be beaten to pulp in the end, and he hated it."  
"But he's a god, what's the problem?" I asked.  
"Self-confidence," Palioxis said. "A god might be invulnerable to everything from AIDS to nukes, but their pride is a really tender spot."  
"Oh, speak for yourself, little sister," Deimos returned and then they started to discuss something which had happened during the French revolution, which I couldn't care less about, so I walked over to where Hekate was going through my clothes.

"Let's put them in my walk-in closet, shall we?" I suggested. "Or at least some of it. There's a lot of stuff which now are... well, let's just say they belong to my former life and then leave it there."  
"I know the feeling," Hekate smiled and then we started to sort through my stuff. At the same time Madonna's **4 Minutes** started to sound trough the room, and the sound made me double take, since it was absolutely fantastic. Now, that couldn't be my old boom box, could it? (Come to think of it, I hadn't seen the thing.)  
"Seems like Phobos found the right buttons to the surround system," Palioxis said as she began to stack my shoes.  
"I have a surround system?" I turned to Ares' daughter. "I had no clue! I've read about those, they are fantastic! As I can hear now."  
"You sure have," Proioxis replied. "There's even speakers in the bathroom. And there's a remote in there as well."  
"Oh my! Flashy," was the only thing I could think of saying and Hekate laughed.  
"Better get used to your life being flashy from now on. Both work vise and during your spare time."  
"I'm still working on it," I said and threw a beige blouse in the 'to trash' heap. Then I looked up: "I better donate all those boring clothes, after all it's not that environmentally sound to trash all those things."

The next moment I had to go and inspect the dojo. The sons of Ares had bought me some new dumbbells as moving in gift, weights I had hardly been able to move earlier. Now they had put them, my treadmill and my box ball in my new dojo. Deimos was talking about me getting a certain floor mat and Phobos made sure the box ball was fastened firmly in the ceiling, using the right kind of magic.  
"Now you're not going to slam this one down the first things you do," he promised me, and I remembered having told about what I had done to it earlier, destroying the ceiling in my old flat.  
"What did you do with my old boom box?" I asked Deimos as Madonna was traded in for The Dignity of Labour in the living room, new tunes coming from the ceiling-mounted speakers in the dojo.

"Oh, that one," Deimos grinned. "Piece of junk, did you really want that after all?"  
"No," I had to admit with a shrug. "It was after all ancient. This sounds so much better. But how come you moved the TV and not the boom box."  
"Because you had no TV here, hun," the god of terror said and tried my box ball. "And who am I to tell that tonight is not the night of your favourite soap?"  
"Ha-ha, you got me there, how did you know I was a Simpson fan?"  
"Your DVD shelf," Phobos replied.  
"Touché!" I grinned.

"Talking about touché, where are your swords?" he then asked.  
"Oh, they are already here, since I didn't dare to keep them in my old flat, what if someone had seen them? I have them in the closet over there," I nodded my head over to a small wardrobe at the end of the dojo. It was there I had decided to hide away swords and fire arms and the likes. I was just going to need a better lock on that door. When I mentioned that, Phobos promised to fix it. Thus I wouldn't be needing any ordinary lock smith.  
"Perfect," I smiled. "You guys do think of everything after all."  
"You know we've done this before," Phobos replied. "A few times."  
"To put it mildly," Deimos said and was hand standing on the floor.  
"Should've known," I replied as I knit my hands on my back, while walking over to the other end of the dojo, looking out over another magnificent Manhattan view, facing northwards this time, although it was partly shaded by the rest of the building and some windows belonging to the neighbor. They were mirror windows, thus not see through, and I hoped mine were the same. I decided to find out later, a little flight would assure me of that. (Imagine how natural those thoughts came to me now...)

Then Xantos and Palioxis were helping me in the bedroom, the latter having quite a few ideas about interior decoration and the former using a combination of levitation work and heavy lifting to move all my things into position. I had already decided to get a larger bed and a real vanity desk with a large mirror, but my old stuff had to do for the time being.

I explained to the twins why I didn't use curtains (I loved the light and didn't really have anything to hide. Nothing that not mirror glass and magic could handle any way), I fingered everything in the bathroom and managed to get myself wet and I inspected the kitchen where Hekate and Proioxis had taken care of most things. After that we hung up the few things I had to hang on the wall, and when I questioned the idea of bringing my old half-dead potted palm, Hekate had used her magic reviving that one, and now it was as good as new.

At that time the day was nearing its end, the sun was setting behind the houses in the west and the shadows were getting long. Naturally all of us realized that we were quite hungry.  
"Pizza!" Deimos called out.  
"Yay, pizza," his brother chimed in and they were high-ten'ing in my living room, jumping up and down, and their sisters were cheering in as well although Hekate was rolling her eyes.  
"Why pizza?" I asked in surprise and Xantos was laughing at that.  
"You know how Ares hates pizza."  
"Yeah, sort of. But that hasn't stop anyone else from having pizza whenever they want, right?"  
"No, but the children of our mighty god of war has made a thing out of having pizza whenever they gather and their dad is not around. Playing the disobedient posse!"

I laughed and hid my face in my hands. Immortal gods! Sometimes they were just a tad too much!

"Okay, okay, okay, okaaaay!" I called out, aimed at Ares' children, as Hekate was laughing out loud next to me. "Order pizzas then! But they should be good ones! And make sure we get some wine as well. I don't have any, and I'm not drinking water or tea."

"Bien Sure, Madame," Deimos replied and produced a phone, and the next moment he was talking on someone on the other end. It seemed he knew what everyone wanted, save for me which he had to ask. Meanwhile Xantos beamed in some wine from his apparently exquisite storage and the twins were setting the table. About 30 minutes later the delivery boy arrived with a pile of steaming hot and absolutely delicious pizzas. So that evening we cramped up seven people around my little kitchen table, eating pizza and drinking red wine, and I realized that among other things I had to get a new, larger meal table. Preferably one of the kind my parents had, which you could fold out when you got even more guests.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

I had strange dreams that night, dreams about Titans and gods, dreams about ancient wars and futuristic ones. Strange repetitions of acts of terrors like 9/11 and images of those beings I had seen which were being kept at the Area 51. Those were not aliens – well, not aliens in that sense that they were from outer space, but they were of a kind of specie living in a parallel universe next to us. The Olympians referred to them as daemons, and they fed on strong emotions from other sentient beings. They were not really dangerous, physically, that was, because they couldn't do that much harm, even if they had horrid-looking fangs and claws added to a really repulsive appearance. As a matter of fact they weren't strong, what they could do was bite or scratch a little, perhaps pass on some bacteria. But most of the bacteria they carried was from their own universe and thus harmless since they weren't genetically compatible with our bodies.

Still these were dreams which spooked me from time to time. Hekate had told me they would pass, that it was just my brain processing all this new information, like a computer hard drive defragmenting itself during inactivity. When I got used to all this, these dreams would fade and then turn into more useful renderings, like problem processing and solving. Then I would instead wake up with answers to my problems, since my brain had been processing useful information during the night. That was noting strange, I had to admit. Even as a mortal my mind had done these things. Sometimes, during my cop years, when I was stuck with a seemingly impossible delinquent, my mind would work on it during the night, and in my dreams I could get hints at overlooked information in a case. And voilà – (or eureka as my new friends said) – I would reach a solution, or at least get a few steps closer to a solution.

But as my eyes blinked up that morning I was surprised at the direction and the brightness of the light – was I still dreaming? No, I was in my new home, it hit me. I also realized, there was something which had woken me up. Not the phone, it laid dark and silent on the bed table. The doorbell perhaps? I hadn't learned to recognize that sound yet. However I became aware of a presence on the other side of the front door, a familiar one. Ares! For some reason that made me so incredibly happy, a stupid grin appearing on my face – a reaction which surprised me. What was happening? I wasn't really falling in love with the god of war, was I?

"Get real, Aidra," I told myself as I stood up from the bed and swept a dressing gown around my nowadays surprisingly fit body. "He's a good friend, that's all. Al right, he's incredibly handsome and sexy, but he's more than 3000 years old and I'm not even 40. We have very little in common and he has probably been having tens of thousands affairs with women like me, so I better not get any ideas. After all he do have this army of kids."

Then I slipped out of the room, across the hallway, where there still were some things which hadn't found their place in my new life, and over to the door, letting Ares in. He was taking me in his arms immediately, banishing all doubt I might have had regarding my feelings for him. Because as I curled up in that warmth, breathed in the fragrances of his aftershave, leather jacket and a faint trace of coffee – and most of all his own musky flavour and rested my chin on the somewhat rough texture of his fleece hoodie, I felt like there was nowhere else I wanted to be.  
"Thank you so much, Ares," my voice was newly awakened and sounded husky. "I love this place, and yesterday Kat, Xant and all your kids spilled in here and started fixing this place up. Wonderful people, moved all my things."  
"I know, Dei told me yesterday. You ate pizza, right."

I giggled at that.  
"He told that too."  
"No, I just guessed." Ares let go of me and regarded me from a few inches instead, cupping my cheek in his hand. "Now, what I really want to do is seducing you here and now, just the look on your face, so sultry and sweet, but Aidra, we have work to do."  
"Urgh, fencing! Can't it wait another day."  
"You know it can't."  
"I can at least eat a bit first? I haven't even had coffee."  
"Overslept."  
"You might say that," I rubbed a knuckle across my right eye and brow and made a face.  
"Sure, do a quickie in the bathroom then, I think I can figure out how to operate your coffee machine without blowing it up."  
"Don't you dare doing that," I teased him and wavered my finger in front of his face and he grabbed it and kissed it swiftly before letting me go.

So I rushed into the bathroom, used the toiled and splashed some water in my face before changing into exercise clothes. There was no idea taking a shower as I knew that I would be soaking in sweat within an hour anyhow. For what time in order I do not know, did I regard my nowadays youthful face, wondering why all this was happening to little me. Faith had turned me into a goddess and now it had thrown me in the arms of the most wonderful, delightful and handsome man too. A man who was THE god of war. I guess I just had to get used to it.


	9. Gods in unlikely places

**Gods in unlikely places**

_The restaurant Amarcord is a figment of my imagination, so don't go looking for it when you get to NY the next time will you :-)_

"But will you drop it already?" I glared at Bia as I put my glass of water and my phone down at the meal table in Hecate's dining room. "You been hitting home your point several times now about me being unexperienced and what was it you had said to Hekate – more a problem than a solution. Well, thanks for saying it to my face – not! After all it's not really a secret I've been around less than two monts, while you have been in this for – what – 4000 years. Thus I hope it's nobody's surprise that I'm a newbie and I don't get why you have to rub it in. If it's not something personal mind you."  
"Why should it be personal," Bia snarled back, where she was standing opposite of me with her sandwish plate in her right hand.

"Why else would you rally this like a politican trying to get elected. Ever since the very first time you passed over that door step to Ares' war room when we were going to Connecticut, have you been bitching at me over every little single aspect you can come to think of when it comes to my fighting abilities, my reaction speed, my arms, my skills and my goddamn hairdo! What's your problem really? Whatever have I done to you to cause this hang-up and to deserve this constant heavy firing coming my way?"  
"It's not that you have _done_ anything specific, Aidra," Bia replied as she put down her food and slid down in the chair. "Because if you think that, you're even worse than I thought, because then you're also overestimating your status here."  
"'My status'? What the hell are you talking about?" I shot back, not giving a damn about using mortal invectives.

"Look here – Aidra," Bia went on. "I'm not critizising you because some personal aversion for you. You're simply not that important in my life for me to do so. There is no reason for me to have aquired what you call a hang up over you."  
"Then what is this all about?"  
"That we cannot afford you on the team, Aidra. Nothing personal, but the world out there is heating up, and then there's no room for rookies. If you want to make a difference I suggest you go back and work for Cyges."  
"So that's what you are doing? Trying to bully me out?"  
"As I said, you're not important for me to bother with that. For you to even think that shows your disability to be professional about this. The world doesn't revolve around you, Aidra!"  
"It seems that your does."  
"That's just another stupid thing to say from someone who does not understand a thing about what this is all about. I care about this conflict, not about you."

"And why do I don't believe you?"  
"As I said, because you are not professional about this."  
"Professional up yours!" Don't you think..."  
"Watch your mouth!"  
"...Ares is the one to be a judge of that. Besides you're the only one who keeps complaining. All the rest have been trying to help me being a part of this and doing well instead. They have been helping me moving house and getting the right weaponry and with arms training – and fastening my goddamn boxball. While all you've been doing all the time have been giving me your shitty attitude and pulling me down. I cannot honestly believe you don't hold any grudge, because people who do not hold grudges, they get over it, end of story. While just have just been bitching for more than a month now. And for no reason at all other than that you seem to suffer from some kind of superior complex. But let me tell you this, Bia – You are not going to be bullying me out, because I know your kind. You're just a little shit who's insecure within, and who try to move focus away from that by hitting at someone else, prefferably the new girl in the team. I've seen enough of your kind in the corps to know what it's all about. So to make this finally clear for you, you are not going to make me break or make me leave because you have attitude problem, so just show them up somewhere where the sun doesn't shine, get real about me being around, and do your own job instead of bitching at me and mine. Am I making myself clear?"

Bia didn't reply, she was just rolling her eyes and making faces, and I finished with a quick wiplash:  
"Because if you do not, then I don't know what to say to get it trough your thick scull that this rookie goddess is here to stay. And there's nothing you can do about it, old hag!"

That was obviously when I hit it home with this goddess and stepped over the proverbial line. Because Bia stood up again so forcefully that her chair tipped behind and in two quick steps she was standing right in front of me, hardly a handswith between me and her. She was slightly taller than me, and she had that glare which usually was one step from violence. I knew that look so well from being a cop, this girl was like one inch from blowing up. Back in the corp I would usually had tried to reason with those people, knowing that most people had a certain limit they didn't toe, and that was when it moved from giving someone the lip to giving her the fist. Especially being female gave you an advantage in these cases. Male badasses didn't usually hit women, because it could be seen as cowardize and female badasses weren't sure if you were better than them – which a trained cop usually was.

But now I wasn't a cop anymore, and a certain part of me wanted to see how far I could push this, mostly to get an end to it, because if Bia hit me, it would probably end one way or another. Either she or I would be told to leave the group, and if someone else told me to split, then I was fine with it, because then she hadn't won for real. Besides I'd rather took a fist than this endless irksome complaints from Bia.

"You watch your mouth, Rookie!" she snarled and balled her fist, and first I thought she was actually going to collect her wits and turn on her heels and walk out of the room, but the hit came fast, if not really like a bolt from the blue. With my quickened divine reflexes I managed to duck, and I supposed she had expected some Karate move from me, because she parried for a counter move that never came, instead she was staggering backwards as I hit the floor. And in spite of the pain almost blinding me I noted that she couldn't have chosen a badder time to instigate trouble, because she collided with Hekate and Palaistra entering the room, the former with a tray with coffee and sandwishes.

As china and profanities flew trough the air, I rolled over and rose on my knees, feeling the pain like red flames bursting trough my mind. I had never in my life been hit that hard, it was like being run over with an express train, and I knew that if I had been mortal, I'd be dead now from that blow. Instead I noted something red on the rug beneath me. Nose bleed, and from the mouth again. I was staining Hekate's home again, now this was getting quite old!

O0O0O0

"So how on Earth did this begin?" Ares asked as he was standing in the middle of the room, regarding the rest of us who were sitting or standing around him.  
"Cat fight," Deimos smirked behind him.  
"Shut UP!" his father hardly glared over at him before he turned to us again. "It's obvious someone was pushed over the edge here today, now, what did happen?"  
"I have to admit it was I who became pushed over the edge," I rose my head and grabbed the baton. "There was just one insult too much from her over there," I nodded slightly at Bia, "and I gave back, perhaps with a bit more vigor than was nessecary."  
"You provoked her to hit you, you mean?" Ares asked. "Was that nessecary?"

"Of course not," I replied. "I wasn't trying to be smart or play strategy or anything, I just had enough. It wasn't the canniest thing to provoke her such, especially not since my head still hurts. I was just driven over the edge and lost it."  
"And how about you, Bia?" Ares asked, and turned to my antagonist, as Proioxis and Kyknos entered the room, the latter carrying a pot with new coffee, instead of the one which got spilled when the shit had hit the fan earlier.

"As I said before, I don't think Aidra belong in the team, and this only proves how unstable she really is."  
"Come on, it was you who hit her," Palaistra snarled in iritation, and Hekate laid a hand on her arm, saying something to her in a language I didn't know.  
"Bia, we have had this discussion earlier," Ares said. "And it's no secret to nobody here that you've been provoking her. To what purpose I do not see, and I hope you'll finally either tell me what it's all about or stop this downright." There was a finality to Ares' voice showing that he tolerated no more avoidance and clever replies, neither from Bia nor from me.

"I simply don't want her on the team, she's too green," Bia said, but her eyes were uncharacteristic downcast when she spoke. "It's not impossible she can be good in the future, but now she's conceited and unstable and..."  
"You made your point," Ares said. "Let's leave it at that, it's clear that the two of you don't have the chemistry, so from now on I will not team you up together if I can avoid it, but if I shall refrain from more reprimands I want the two of you to promise me one thing."  
"What," Bia said, of her earlier rage remained nothing.  
"I'm not asking you for a truce or a hand shake or something equally stupid," the War God said. "Because we all know it won't mean a thing. I will just ask you to stop picking at each other. Now, that's mostly directed at you, Bia, since you've been at Aidra constantly, while she has been mostly answering back. And today you went way out of line, and if these things keeps happening around you, we'll have trouble here. So I will not hear that you two have been at each other again, either in public or in private. I simply won't tolerate that. Then you can go on being foes, if you like to play that childish game and no one would really care."

"Fine by me," I said, "I just want her off my back. I don't intend to bitch any more."  
"Good, Aidra," Ares said. "And you, Bia?"  
"You know what..."  
"You think, yes, but this is your final warning. Two choises – behave or ask for a transfer. Perhaps you would fit better at Athena's team after all."  
"Athena?" Bia snarled. "No fucking thanks!"

Now, what was that about? She had a problem with Athena as well?

O0O0O0

"Aidra," Ares took me to the side. "I know that what happened today wasn't your fault, but Bia has been going trough a bit of a rough time recently. I will not go into details, but try to not provoke her. If she's being a bitch, just try to leave."  
"I've been doing that for quite some time now," I sighed and shook my head. "I guess it just became one word too much."  
"Yes, we all know that. After all both Hekate and Palaistra saw Bia hit you today."  
"And then, to be honest with you, I consider HER the unstable one in the team. Not only did she hit me today, but she has had this attitude as if she's trying to project her insecurity upon me. Thinking me an easy target just because I'm new on the team. You know that drill from the NYPD after all. "

"Yeah," Ares sighed. "I know perfectly well. Aidra, sometimes it's not that easy managing a team. With gods it's harder than with mortals. So much old shit lying around and surfacing now and then."  
"But I think you're doing great."  
"Thanks, Aidra. Are you ready to drop the subject with Bia? I promise I won't team you up again."  
"I will," I admitted and he smiled at me, making me really feel that I had his full support in this matter with Bia and that it was mostly over now.

O0O0O0

Upon moving in I had felt that my new kitchen had looked like a surgery room with all its white and brushed steel, but it had now become quite a bit cozier after I had added textiles, china and utensils. And a fair amount of junk like newspapers, old mail, empty soda cans and all that other stuff that seem to fill up a kitchen. I was drinking my coffee and reading the papers which were still full of the Californian mass murder mystery, when there was a sound on the doorbell including a magic signature which told me it was one of the other New York gods on the other side. I put down my cup and went to answer.

Ares.

He took me in his arms and I buried my head against his broad chest, wondering again how the chaos this had begun.  
"You're off today too?" I asked.  
"No. I'm busy with you, Aidra."  
"Sounds more like pleasure than business to me," I giggled.  
"So how about a tour down the coastline, dear, way south of this bustling megalopolis?"  
"After the martial art classes?"  
"Of course, sweetie. Duty first as always."  
"You're so upright!" I teased and stroke the outside of my hand over his still clean shaved cheek. It wouldn't take long though before it was covered in whiskers. For Ares the concept of five' o clock shadow was more like two 'o clock, so no wonder the god shaved twice a day and had sported a full beard way into the twentieth century.  
"I wouldn't have survived being a war god otherwise!"  
"I've got some coffee and bagels left in the kitchen, help yourself while I go change." I offered, well aware that there wouldn't be a single drop or crumble left when Ares was done.

While looking at my daft smile in the mirror, I stripped off my sweater and jeans and changed into my exercise clothes. Meanwhile I was thinking back upon this development with amusement. That kiss after our first operation had been the trigger of course. Then little by little had we neared each other, fluttering around like mating butterflies on a late summers day. Using the fencing, karate and knife fights as a 'chaperon' as well as an excuse to be together. But there had been a look here, a hand there, warm breaths upon bare shoulders, wet lips and dry humour. Hard bodies connecting in weaponless combat – and the fight turning into something else, as _making love not war_ became a very tempting course of action. Then came yesterday when we had taken that tiny little step which was all we needed and ended up in bed together, right here in this large bedroom with its magnificent view over lower Manhattan. I recalled his kisses, my lips still tingling from that memory.

Ares had swept me off my feet and more or less carried me here that evening, and with kisses and hands he had enthralled me – as I had him. That was the very thing which had made me fall so hard, the sincerity in his reaction as well as mine. He had wanted me just as bad as I had wanted him. He and I had joined in lust and something more, not really love, not yet, but still something spiritual that went beyond mere sex. Whatever 'mere' it was when two gods made love. I found that night that lovemaking was different when being a goddess as well. It was more intense, it was more heightened and more prolonged. The orgasms were deeper, longer and more ethereal. They were like colourful eruptions, fizzing and sparkling, like atomic explosions compared to the jumping jacks I had experienced as a mortal. I was swept away more thoroughly, still I had been more aware than ever, more aware of Ares. Of his huge, fit body, his large and sensitive hands, his skilled lips and his soft words of tease whispered into the shell of my ear.

I could fall in love with this man, I realized. I could fall in love with this ancient God of War who had seen so much, who had done so much, who had lived so much that my pitifully short span of life was just a blink of an eye in his world. I would never be able to catch up, it felt. Still I had felt such a communion there that night, such...

"Aidra?" The very man I was revering woke me back to reality again.

"Coming!" I replied as I pulled the breathing-textile tank top over my head and walked out into that dojo which was so much more fanciful than the one back in my old flat. This one was large, airy and filled with all kind of equipment needed, including a punch sack that didn't fall down from the ceiling no matter how hard I mangled it, courtecy of the God of Terror.

Now, Ares was waiting on the floor in the middle of the room, dressed in efficient breathing-textile as well, shorts and a tank top very much like what I was wearing. We would be doing weaponless first and then move on to fencing as we usually did. Ares grinned and waved me to come over and I grinned back:  
"Ready to get your ass kicked, old boy?"  
"Do your best, little girl!"

As usual these day we fought hard and long, working up sweat long after that any mortal would be worn beyond a heart attack. For hours we worked out, only stopping to drink or to dry off sweat from bodies or floor. Since Ares was still doing his Marc Harris work over at the station, we seldom had more than a day in a week for these sessions, so we used them to the very last moment, trying to make them as efficient as ever possibly. Ares was a good teacher, patient and understanding as well as swift and stern. He tolerated no slacking, at the same time he seemed to know exactly when his apprentice couldn't stand it anymore and needed a break, when yet another trick or position might as well be a waste of time because 'the bowl was filled'. When we were done several hours later we simply lay down on the floor and rested for some five minutes, catching up with ourselves.

"So?" I asked him after a while.  
"You're getting better, Aidra. Learning fast. I shouldn't be surprised since I knew you from before. Still there's a new fire inside of you which surprises even this old god. You want something and there's nothing stopping you. I admire that."  
"It's perhaps because – well I grew up being concerned with the state of the world. But I didn't know where to start. The environment? Poverty? International terrorism? Or simply knowing that the neighbor was beating up his wife and that my best friend found a kitten in the trash bin? So I did what I thought I'd do best. I became a cop, I fought crime, and I felt that I did at least something to make this world a better place. Putting a wife beater behind bars for instance. Al right, I wasn't a pure idealist, but then again who is?" I rolled around upon my belly and elbows and balled my fists beneath my chin before continuing: "I wanted to make a living as well, pile away some money, find some love and buy that house in the countryside I've always dreamt of. And have kids, kittens and goats. Growing my own food. Although I knew it would never happen."

"Why not?" Ares turned around too, posed himself on the side, resting his head in his palm as he regarded me.

"Because... Well perhaps I too saw the unrealistic part in that dream. To be honest, Ares, I would probably never like it in the countryside. I'm too much a city girl."

Ares laughed.  
"True. It's there in your blood, the pulse of the city. The traffic, the concrete. You got gasoline there as well as ichor. And we do need to work on your reflections a bit more. An assailant from behind might as well deliver a kick in the groins as putting a knife to your troth."  
"Yes. An Adamantine knife. Ares, when I learned that there were Titans out there, and that their wile plan made the Taliban looks like kindergarten rascals, when I realized that the world and humanity were in a very much direr peril than any global warming could cause, that fire started inside of me. The 'save the world' thing. I want to be a part of this now so much. And I want to perform well."  
"I know that, I feel it in your aura, that spirit of yours. That's why I want to have you with us no matter that you are a newbie on the team."

Ares rolled over again and sat up:  
"Now I guess it's shower time and then let's have a late lunch before we head out south."  
"Good idea!" I said and was on my feet in a move I wouldn't have thought it possible to make only two months earlier. Then I grabbed my towel, partly using telekinesis and skip-jumped out from the dojo, across the hallway and into the bathroom. Ares would have to be content with the guest shower. Or so I thought, he turned out to be right behind me. He grabbed me by the waist and turned me around, stealing a kiss.  
"Don't think you can sneak away that easily."  
"I should've locked."  
"And I'd picked it up."  
"Cheater!"  
"You'd done the same!"

I huffed and tried to get away from him. I was naked and it was so obvious how my body reacted to the contact with his. And Ares let go, mostly to be able to get his top and shorts off. I entered the shower cabin and turned on the water. The concept of showering with Ares suddenly felt irresistible. Especially when he entered the cabin, cornering me not only with his physical appearance. The hot steam that was streaming out from the water beam didn't hide his hard on and it affected me a lot. As did the glistening moist on his hard muscles and the smoldering hot desire in those alluring brown eyes.

The next second Ares had pulled me into his arms and was seeking my lips with his, strong yet tender hands feeling his way down the small of the back and caressing my rear end. And in return I opened up my mouth and with a slight moan returned the kiss, let my tongue meet his. The kiss was long and hungry and when we finally let go Ares let his lips travel down my neck, teasing and tickling and resting upon my shoulder where he nibbled gently, making me gasp. At the same time he used his hands way down below, opening up my secret cavity, reaching inside with a probing, poking finger. And I wanted him so much and so bad and so now.

I hadn't been overly conservative in my lovemaking, but I had never done it in a shower before. That was for more glamorous people I had thought. (And partly because I had never before had a shower fit for these kinds of antics, just narrow ones in slippery bad tubs.) Neither had I had a man who kneeled down and took me with his lips and tongue as I threaded my fingers through his jet black hair. So these two things combined was certainly unbeaten tracks for yours truly. Novelties which opened up a whole new world for me. Cascading emotions, impossible to describe.

After Ares had conjured up my first orgasm he had rose and answered my pleading lips by making love to me with his hard member as well. He was large and fulfilling, but then again he was a god. Somewhere halfway through he had turned me around and entered from behind as well, helping along with skilled fingers which were finding their way in to the knob of pleasure. And yet another orgasm of mine.

"I can get use to this," I said when we were done and spent and the bathroom turned into a foggy London.  
"You better will, honey," Ares replied and kissed me one last time.

Then there had been other desires on our mind and we had found out what the fridge had to offer. I had never guessed that a man like Ares could be a wizard in the kitchen as well. It just didn't seem his style, but then I guess that he had learned to cook out in the field, with very little commodities, and thus perfected the art under hard circumstances. So a kitchen with all appliances the 21:th century had to offer and a well filled fridge was for him a walk in the park and working miracles an easy thing. Ares had made paella and garlic bread and I had done my best helping along.

After finishing our late lunch we had entered upon our promised trip, flying south from Manhattan and way beyond Pittsburg as well. Ares had took me first to a war museum, educating me in some old parts of US history that had slipped my mind. For me the civil war had been more about the movie Gone With The Wind than anything else, and the reason that set it off something I had forgotten as soon as that part was over and done with in school. I felt shame burning upon my cheeks - how could I forget about the battle against slavery? On the other hand getting the story from Ares who have fought with the North himself, and even knew president Lincoln, was a whole different can of beer than listening to a boring teacher when everything you wanted to do was to run out in the sun and hitch a ride with that cute guy who had his own car. Ares had been there, done that for real, he had seen the deaths and the horror, heart the thunders of the cannons and marched beneath the burning sun with gunpowder and road dust in his nose.

In a way the reason for that war was very similar to the one for which we fought now - we were the 'Northerners' who wanted to prevent the Neotitans from turning the whole human race into their own slaves. Who wanted to return the 4000 years old tyranny of the Titan era. The era which had lasted for millennia and finally ended when Zeus and his band of brave upstarts had killed Kronos and his closest cohorts. Only the timespan, geographic area and the weapons were really different.

When we were done with the museum, Ares had felt that today's class was over and we had trekked some beautiful vistas instead, stopped by a beach for a swim and then visited a cute little town where we had ice cream and I got the chance to sneak into some lovely little stores and gather some knick-knacks I really didn't need but found hard to resist in spite. Then the sun was setting and it was time to return to New York City again.

While flying in over Manhattan there was suddenly someone calling out Ares' name. We both turned to look, and there, on top of a high-rise was a shadow perched on the very spire of the building, standing on top of it as if it was the most natural thing in the world for a man to balance on what looked like tiny needlepoint. A man in a long, flowing coat or perhaps cloak, like a Zorro or a Batman, wearing a high hat. Ares acknowledged the stranger by changing his direction and landing on the roof of the building, and I was soon after. As the war god looked up towards the man on the spire he called out:

"Dad?"

In return the stranger jumped down from the spire and made one impressive somersault before landing next to us. Impressive, especially since he managed to keep his hat on, at least until he had landed and swept it off to salute me with instead.  
"Hello son! So this is the famous Aidra of Manhattan. Good evening milady!"

I didn't really know what to expect from Zeus, but of course I had seen all those countless images of the king of the gods. The impressive, bearded patriarch in togas enthroned among the clouds and with a lightning bolt in hand. Naturally I considered these pictures to belong to another time and that Zeus anno 2010 must be different. But I had never expected a Calvin Klein model in black leather and a red silk sash over a white shirt and with his platinum blond locks in a short, neat Wall Street hairdo. There was something Victorian over him as well as very futuristic. The latter showing in what appeared to be a state of the art cell phone and some other electronic gadgets dangling from buckles upon that steampunk-inspired coat. His whole appearance was timeless – or beyond time. Uchronic. And his aura shone with ancient-old strength and wisdom beyond what was possible to imagine.

"Good evening, Lord Zeus!" I managed to stagger, uncertain if I was expected to fall to my knees or something. But the king of the gods saved the situation by taking my hand and then kissing it in a very old style way.  
"Ares, what have you really told her? The young lady is awed!" the king said, turning to his son again, a smile playing upon full lips. Oh man! He really did have the kavorka that god!  
"Very little, I'm afraid," the God of War replied.  
"It's your - ah - reputation, Lord." I replied in Ares' stead. "I admit I never really red my Homer, but the culture of mankind is filled with the awe-inspiring images and descriptions of you, my Lord."

Oddly enough my comment made Zeus laugh and sweep out his arms, almost being the one who bowed instead.  
"Homer! Grace of Earth! That blind old fart sure knew how to create an impression which lasts. I know what they say about me, dear! The images they paint. 3000 years of prejudices aren't that easy to expunge so I've given up trying these days. After all there are so much more important businesses which call to attention than my appearance in the minds of the general public. Like this Second Titan War for instance, which I take it you _do _know about, Aidra. After being employed by my son!"  
"Sure, My Lord, Ares has..."  
"And stop that 'Lord' thing, will you! This is a Manhattan rooftop, not an Olympic council hall. And it's so tedious going on with old protocol when important things need to be discussed."  
"But you do wield thunderbolts?" I couldn't help myself saying. Even if the toga, sceptre and facial hair was gone, there sure had to be something to the fame of Zeus which was true.

In response Ares' father made a move with his right arm, pointing towards the sky and the next instance an impressive lightning flashed across the sky and hit the top of a nearby high-rise, thunder crashing over Manhattan.  
"Wow!" I couldn't help saying.  
"Now, have you two eaten?" Zeus asked and put his hat back on.

O0O0O0

The Amarcord is a restaurant which is _Famous_. It's one which has celebs coming and going in hoards and which is written about in every glossy trend magazine there is, even those classy European ones. And it's copied by every Italian chef with some dreams of getting anywhere else than being the local Bolognese deliverer. The restaurant is seldom known by the Joe Public in the street of course, but for him a dinner at The Amarcord would cost a monthly salary. In spite the waiting list for a table is more than two years. So when Zeus told us where we were heading I thought he was kidding. Al right he might be Zeus, but to me it felt like some kind of South Park humour, as if we would be standing there talking to a puffed-up waiter who would respond something along the line:  
"Yeah and I'm Maria Magdalena, now take your Goth friends and be off with you!"

But as we approached that indeed very haughty waiter by his pulpit before the gilded elevator doors, there was something in his eyes that told him he had seen Zeus more than once.  
"Thunderbird," Zeus said as we came up to the stand. "I have a reservation for three tonight."  
"Certainly, Sire!" the balding man said and I had never seen someone scraping his foot like that, there would be scratches in the floor, I imagined. The old charisma did obviously still work. Or perhaps Zeus was a very frequent visitor. Although for some reason I doubted it, this might be New York after all, but the world was a large place and a man like Zeus was certainly needed everywhere, especially now when a secret war was fought.

As I thought that over the waiter bowed again with a:  
"Welcome sir Thunderbird; hope you and your exquisite company will have the most excellent evening here with us." Then he almost lead us over to the elevator which arrived just about in an instance, to let out a company I recognized. Uriel Nantes with a woman looking barely half his age but who was definitely not a daughter. I had to bite my lips to not blurt out some improper comment. And Ares had recognized the senator as well and glanced after them with an almost audible snort.

As the elevator doors closed behind us Zeus asked:  
"A former US senator. You've been dealing with him?"  
"I shot his son," I said frankly. When Zeus looked upon me with a questioning eye I gave him the instant version of the event which had changed my life. Meanwhile I took in the looks of the King of the Gods for real. Zeus was tall and well-built and with genuine ash blond hair, there weren't even darker roots. He had sapphire blue eyes in a tanned face. In spite of his colours being quite different, I sure could tell that he and Ares were related, even if they appeared more like brothers than father and son. My life experience judged them both as being in their early twenties. They had the same chiseled handsomeness with prominent, cleaved chins, high cheek bones and classic noses of the kind you saw on old marble statues. When I was almost done narrating the elevator doors opened anew, admitting us out into the most special restaurant I had ever seen. Now the king of the gods simply said:  
"I am not surprised by your story. Those drugs take more lives every day than any medieval plague. And in one way more horrible than the other. Don't blame yourself, Aidra!"  
"If she hadn't shot the punk she wouldn't be here tonight, father." Ares said.

Then we dropped the subject as a smart-looking waiter came up to us and smiled as if he was in an ad for tooth paste:  
"Mr. Thunderbird, so nice to see you with us here tonight. I have just the table for you and your company, follow me - milady, gentlemen!"

While we crossed a floor which shone like obsidian I took in the surroundings and the ambience of The Amarcord, trying to remember every detail. Scanning the large room which took up the whole floor, from the iron grid in the ceiling above to the futuristic furnishing and down to the odd shaped carpets on the floor. Trying to remember it the same way as I earlier had memorized crime scenes. There were large windows overlooking a nightly Manhattan, it's lights distorted by the falling rain which might have been triggered by Zeus' plays with celestial electricity earlier. Large elliptic lamps hung from the ceiling and they combined regular light with black light, the latter making all white surfaces, like the rims of my jacket and Zeus's shirt shine with luminescent purple. In the middle of the room there was an octagonal basin where gold fishes swam and it was surrounded by trees made out of wrought steel and with blades of glass. Glass fibres winded themselves like ivy over the trees and they were lit with yet more purple light, and then with the odd white, yellow, lemon, orange or pink as spectacular accents. That special colour scheme repeated itself at those glass screens that sectioned off the large room, looking like lava lamps which had been ran over with a roller.

But it wasn't just the room I took in. The place held more celebs than an ordinary gossip magazine. There were several Hollywood stars and music and sports celebs, some politicians, a few best seller writers, a handful cloned beauties who might be models, a stage magician, an European royalty who's name I couldn't remember and some odd people like Al Gore, Tito Jackson, Ivana Trumph, Lisa-Marie Presley and Saul Pelton. The latter was a drug dealer hot shot my department had worked for years to nail down, but he was like an eel, always getting away. And just like bad old Nantes he was seen with a lolita. That gave me a wicked idea, which I pushed back in an instance. I had more important things to do now than chasing drug dealers.

I noted that there were people checking us out as well, but I didn't know if it was because Ares and Zeus were so extremely good looking or if it was because they recognized them somehow.

We were lead to a pleasant corner, a bit off but with an excellent view over almost the whole restaurant, since it stood on a low dais. Next to us sat that dude who had been married to Britney Spears together with an Asian girl with spiky pink hair and a white vinyl jacket, as if she had stepped right out of a manga. As the waiter pulled out my chair I asked:  
"Where is the kitchen?"  
"One floor down, milady," he replied before touching something on our table with a kind of electronic card. In response the table was lit up with the menu printed directly beneath the glass. A plasma screen! Impressive!

I was so awed by the screen that Ares almost started to laugh at my expression. And then I turned to the Olympians:  
"You go here often?"  
"I do," Ares said. "But this is the first time for dad as well I believe."  
"Yes and I hope it'll live up to its reputation."  
"But... the personnel? It was like they recognized you."  
"Because I wanted them to." Zeus smiled. "If I feel the need to have someone remembering Zev Thunderbird they will. If not they won't."

Ares had helped us order and then we had small talked a bit before going down to business:  
"So how's it going here on the American side?" Zeus asked.  
"Rather well in the US and Canada for time being" Ares replied. "So I think we have to turn our attention to South America for a while now. Penthesileia has reported there being at least four infestations now. Two in Brazil, one in Argentina and one in Colombia. The latter connected to drug money, how surprisingly - not! So I think I'll let Deimos, Bia and Nerio stay up here while the rest of us travel south soon."  
"Bia's staying?" I smiled.  
"Yeah, wipe that smug look off your face, Aidra; you're going to have to work so hard you forget all about her."  
"So you feel the situation is under control then, Ares?" Zeus asked.  
"More or less. We have yet to find the head of their American operation. This Promaximus. Before he is rooted out there will be new little hives popping up everywhere and all the time."

"The situation in Europe isn't really much better." Zeus responded. "Russia is worse off. And then I expect the Middle East explode for real soon. In a war which will have all other wars look like bar brawls. And then I want you there, Ares. You'll have to take care of it so it doesn't go out of hand."  
"They have nukes now you know," Ares said. "Iran has allocated quite a bunch and for months now their ayatollahs have been dreaming wet dreams about launching them upon Israel."  
"I know, Ares. And these must be prevented from being putting in use no matter what it costs."  
"I'll make sure of it. How soon do you want me there? And with how many of my people?"  
"In May 2013 the latest. The Oracle has said the war will start within three years. June or July, perhaps after Ramadan. Can you be ready then?"  
"I'll make us ready."  
"If worse comes to worse Hercules may help you. But that depend on the development in China as well."  
"A complicated game!" I pointed out as our food arrived.  
"Complicated is just the middle name," Zeus replied.

We had dined on those kind of tapas-like crossover dishes over more politics and then Zeus had wanted to know more about me, so he had got the long version of my apotheosis and what I had been doing up until then. The king of the gods seemed pleased with what he heard and I soon got the impression of having known this intelligent and kind gentleman for years and years. When we were done with the most delicious dinner I had had in ages, Ares' father rose and bid his good nights. Before we parted he said:  
"We'll be gathered at Olympia Lagunas for the solstice. I'll be delighted to see you there then Aidra."


	10. Olympia Lagunas

******Olympia Lagunas**

_**Penthesileia **was a Queen of the Amazones who led her troops to the Trojan War in support of King Priamos. She was a daughter of Ares and Otrere_  
_**Kydoimos **was the god of the din of battle, confusion, uproar and hubbub and a son of Ares and Eris_  
_**Polemos **was the spirit of battle and a son of Ares**  
****Androkles, Aristides** and **Lysandros **are made up deities just for this story**  
****Astrape** was the goddess of lightning, with unknown lineage, so I felt it fitting to turn her into a Manhattan weather goddess married to Deimos**  
****Pythagoras **was never a god for real but 'became deificated' in a way like Julius Caesar, and some said he was a son of Zeus. _

_The Greeks called the air the gods lived in for the Aether, and thus I used that name for my divine dimension concept._

South America was hot, humid and bug infested. Going there and doing our thing was dangerous, tedious, demanding, tiring - and mighty fun. I became teamed up with Palioxis and Proioxis plus another dauther of Ares' - Penthesileia and then his sons Kydoimos, Polemos and Kyknos (Kick Nose). Then there were Hercules' son Androkles and Hephaestos' great-great grandson Lysandros, and it turned out to be a great team. Penthesileia, a 2800 years old amazon warrior, was intense and wild but clever and enjoyable as well. She was athletic, tanned and with burning hazel eyes and short, dark and curly hair. It was only when she smiled you could tell by the looks who she was related to. Needless anyway, she was as tough and unrelenting as her father. In a way she reminded me of Ellen Ripley of the Alien movies with her go-get'em attitude. Lysandros on the other hand was a laid back soul, blond, pale and cool. He was the team's tech guy, the one who took care of the weapons, the car, the GPS, the phones and all the other gears that needed to work in a modern war.

Kydoimos looked like a red haired Ares and like trouble incarnated, the kind of thug who created bar brawls just for the heck of it or if someone accidently pushed him on his way to his table. He was the one who knew everything and then some about mayhem, havoc and confusion. After all he was a master at creating it. On top of that you soon learned that he had his own shrewd cleverness and dark, wicked humour. Androkles, the team's medic was a bulky and silent man with long, raven hair and curious brown eyes. He was surprisingly agile for his size and often had his own ideas about how to solve difficulties. He was also good at holding back the gung-ho juggernauts Kydoimos and Kick Nose.

Polemos appeared to be the true role model for every stormtrooper commando soldier out there. Hard and inexorable, never stopping a second, but plowing ahead like a human tank and to Tartarus with consequences. But when you get to know him you found a die-hard fairnes, a low-keyed kindness and an endless well of knowledge regarding all and everything related to front line war, from hi-tech arms to wild land trekking. A well he gladly shared from when whe stopped and rested. Then there were the twins. Proioxis and Palioxis were lean and mean, I had learned to love their wicked humour and they had mighty fun when I was never able to tell them apart. And I - well I was the newbie on the team and had to live with that.

Together we were running and fighting through the jungle, killing Neotitans and sleeping in the wild. In a way it was like the games my brother and I had used to play as kids, only that this was real and thus much more intense. There were never any real all out fights with the South American Neotitans, mostly because the continent was large and filled with jungles, mountains, steppes and all kind of wilderness to hide in. Even glaciers! So what we engaged in was more like small skirmishes, and these tended to be repetitive after a while, floating into each other. In spite of everything there were only so many ways which you could intercept and destroy Titans. Or for them to try to get rid of us. There were car chases, parcour-like runs across ghost towns, sneaky shoot-outs in the jungle or among the mountains and snipers in strange places. I was getting better at fighting and we managed to stay alive all of us, which was better than what Deimos' theme did - they lost a guy names Valandor the first month. He was a son of Aphrodite - one of many, and I never knew him. Still it felt sad upon hearing it.

But even if the fights became dull after a while, there sure were some special memories I will always return to in my mind. It was that magnificent paradise valley in Argentina, the one with the deep blue lake and a thousands and thousands of exotic, colourful flowers and ditto butterflies. A colour explosion of the wildlife I'd never thought existed outside the world of the most creative painters. It was there we also saw wild parrots for real. A magnificent sight. Kyknos had been the first one to jump into that lake and we others had soon followed him. The water had been wonderful and refreshing after a hot trip and swimming and diving was so incredibly different when being immortal. You could stay down under water seemingly forever, holding your breath and recycling the oxygen over and over again. So I dived almos to the bottom of that lake, exploring the aquatic wildlife in a way I never thought possible, especially since my eye sight was not blurred by the water. It sure was every scuba diver's wet dream, and no worries about too fast ascents either, since my immortal body handled the pressure shifts like it wasn't any deal at all.

That evening when the sun set and painted the sky in magnificent hues, we sat outside the tent and talked about all and everything, from movies to the secrets of outer space. The Olympians knew there was life out there, they had met immortals from other races. Strange beings which they told me about. Beings which were neither like The Predator or E.T. but with their shared mix of goodness and badness, just as with us. And with completely different concepts to meassure bad or good with. But the universe was so waste and the civilizations so shattered across the stars that it might take millennia before it became a valid reason to interact for real. Thus the Council of Twelve had voted to keep this knowledge secret, because they did not believe that man was ready to handle it yet.

"It would be panic in the streets" Lysandros said. "I remember that US radio show - War of the Worlds - and the terror it caused. It was unbelievable. Men always assume the worst."  
"Well they have a good reason to do so," Androkles pointed out. "In any case we guys try to make it damn sure that the worst is actually not going to happen."  
"Oh, speak for yourself" Penthesileia returned. "I'd love to be done with all this and just take a long-long holiday by some beach resort. The day I'm walking unarmed again outside the Olympia Lagunas is a reason for celebration."  
"And you're a daughter of Ares," I said, not really sure where I was getting with that comment.  
"Yes I am. And I've seen wars on the inside as well as on the outside and from every view and position. From nuclear subs to planes faster than the speed of sound. From dirty trenches to neat headquarters. From burning desserts to frozen tundras. From the basics on horseback, man to man, sword to sword - to large, futuristic halls where you can kill millions by just pushing the button. Trust me, Aidra, after 2800 years you've seen it all. And you learn to resent it. And you learn that it might be necessary as well."  
"I guess no one love peace as much as a real warrior," Kyknos filled in.  
"Aww – peace is boring," Kydoimos protested half-heartedly, mimicking Homer Simpson.

"What's the aliens like?" I traced back in the subject line. "Are they peaceful? Or killers like in the movies."  
"They're really very much like us. Fighting for peace." Penthesileia replied.  
"And fucking for virginity," Androkles added. Penthesileia huffed and went on:  
"Actually the race with the less numbers of armed conflicts - I wouldn't call them the most peaceful - was a race which was suppressed. All of them living under the boot of an immortal dictator god. They couldn't fight, they couldn't protest. All tries were futile. Those upstarts who once were had been around and tried anything had been beaten down brutally, and now these people were mostly catatonic, their lives forfeit."  
"And you met gods from this race?" I felt it hard to believe.  
"No, we did not. We heard about them from the Nephilims, a space faring race who are mostly watching over other civilizations to make sure they don't become too threatening."

"How do they regard us?"  
"They tell us to get rid of the Titans. If that grouping takes over Earth and then acquire space flight, the Earthlings might be considered a threat. And they might ask the Eseraphimes to terminate us."  
"Can't the Nephilims help us against the Titans instead?"  
"They don't do colonialism," Palioxis said. "And fact is that in spite of their space flight they're not that equipped fighters. They're on level with Earth in the 11:th or 12:th century. Just discovered gunpowder. And they know next to nothing about strategy and tactics. The little they know they have learned from us to be true."  
"They would probably screw up, become more a threat than an asset," Kydoimos pointed out while turning over the steaks which were being grilled on the campfire. He and Kyknos had hunted down a kind of dear and now it was becoming dinner together with some newly plucked fruits and parboiled rice. In spite of our discussion that tranquil and peaceful night the Titan War had felt like another world.

"However the extraterrestrials are far from the most interesting species there are," Proioxis said, and I turned to look at the dark-skinned goddess.  
"How come?"  
"Well, you know about the Titans," Palioxis said and her twin went on:  
"They are not the only sentinent race sharing the human's living room on Earth. There are elves as well, however they try to keep to themselves, in so-called 'folded dimensions'. And then there are elementards and nature sprits."

"Elves?" my eyes darted to my beer-can and then back to the twins again.  
"Yes, elves. They are mammals like us. Primates. Evolved even further from the apes than we did. Branched off from the Homo Sapiens string later. They traded in the human durability for magic traits. They are a lot easier to kill with metal weapons and have quite a weaker immune defence. Flues which sends the generic human to bed for a week or two may be lethal for an elve. Not to mention what certain drugs and poisons can do. So the Elves have more or less withdrawn from the beaten tracks of humanity and folded parts of the world to bring it out of reach."  
"Folded, how?" I asked.  
"That means they have created copies of parts of our world, and hidden in other dimensions, connected to Earth but not really on it in the normal sense," Penthesileia was explaining. "In the normal dimensions we can persieve using our normal senses that is."

When she saw I was still at lost, the Amazon admitted:  
"I don't really grasp how it works either, however it works very much the same way as how the Aether is connected to our known universe."  
"And yet it's a different kind of magic," Proioxis said. "You cannot really compare the two."  
"And don't feel bad for not getting it," Palioxis added. "It's Nobel price brain material stuff. I'm not even sure Einstein grasped how it really works, although he tried. Really hard. I remember when he... Athena tried to explain. She had lost me and Pro long time ago, but that man was still trying."  
"You mean Einstein met Athena?"  
"Yes, where do you think he learned all the stuff," Penthesileia replied, and then we were back at gossip, a far more manageable area. At the same time I noted that Polemos had fallen asleep with his head resting on his backpack. That was another thing with these warriors. They could fall asleep like EVERYWHERE!That was still a trait I wanted to aquire."

The next day we had reached the Mayan ruins and I had walked in awe and a bit of a sadness, regarding those remnant of a civilization lost and gods who had been dead for almost a thousand years, killed by the first of the Titans. I wondered what it would take to save the rest of the world from going down the same way. Apparently it had been close several times in certain places, like in Europe during the medieval times. Penthesileia could tell me some horrid stories about that era.

I learned Spanish during my first weeks here and then Portuguese. I had no idea that it was so easy to acquire a second language as an immortal. No wonder all of my new friends spoke almost every language worth knowing and then some. I had just thought it being a case of having a lot of time on your hand. But, as Androkles had explained it, there were new channels in my brain open now, new, finer curls and winds among the old ones. Synapses and memory areas that made it easier to pick up new things, to learn and remember. For instance I could read a text once and then remember it almost by heart. Consequently the foreign words just had to be told once and then they were stuck in the brain.

However all wasn't perfect. Far from it. Ares' and my affair died down simply because we didn't get to see much of each other during these weeks. He and his group were way north of us, in countries like Equador, Colombia and northern Brazil. I missed him, at least in the beginning, missed his hugs and his kisses. I missed falling asleep next to his warm body and waking up the same way. Then again it was hard to tell if it really was him I missed or just someone to hold, if it was simply the dislike of loneliness that made me feel moody. After all I didn't feel heartbroken. Not like back when Dave had died. That difference in emotions wasn't simply caused by the reason that Ares was not gone. That I was going to see him again. Perhaps I had known it all the time, that Ares and I had no future together for real. He was the God of War. The ancient Olympian who was a member of the Council of Twelve. While I was a rookie goddess who hadn't even lived half the length of an average mortal lifespan. What could I offer him save for my body to still his hunger for flesh? No, Ares and I were history, I had to accept that and get on with my life. Then I would remember those nights we had shared like you remember a holiday at a resort. Something wonderful which inevitable comes to pass.

O0O0O

Then came Christmas, which the gods didn't care much about. Not only was that religion a non-issue for my new friends. On top of that, as Lysandros so eloquently pointed out, the man Yoshue - Jesus Christ had probably not even been born at that time of the year, but rather in late August or early September. The time for the celebration had been selected simply because it corresponded with the time for the solstice, which had been a pagan festivity for centuries before even the Jewish religion was shaped. Instead it was the solstice and the turn of the year we were planning to celebrate. So now we were heading for the Aether and Olympia Lagunas for a three days long celebration before we resumed our chase of the Neotitans. We in Ares' group had all the reason to celebrate and be proud since we had taken out most of the Titans on the South American continent. Al right, we had failed to locate Promaximus, the presumed leader of the American Titans, but as Ares said - there would be a day tomorrow as well. And a war to resume.

But now partying awaited us. I was over the top excited by the concept of finally going to Olympia Lagunas. Especially after the last weeks since my comrades in arms had talked a lot about the Lagunas. About the people there, about all the amazing things to see and fun things to do. The way they talked made it sound like a mix between a class reunion, amusement park visit and holiday trip. And I didn't have to worry about being left aside. I already knew this gang in and out now, after having lived so close together for such a long and intense period. That's one thing war does - bringing comrades of arms really tight together, creating bonds almost inseparable. Bonds knitted by death, blood, helping hands, worries, despair and relief. All those intense feelings war brought with it. No wonder that Zeus and his core group of gods had stayed together for millennia, they had been welded together in the first Titan War. A war which they had engaged in when they had been even younger than I was now.

So now we were going to their place. We had packed away our arms and returned to our respective homes for a few days. Me, the twins and Kyknos to New York, Kydoimos to Chicago and Penthesileia to Rio while Lysandros and Androkles went directly to Olympia Lagunas. When those days were over I met with the Manhattan Group again to go together with them through the Portal to the Aether. There were Hekate, Ares, Palioxis, Proioxis, Deimos, Kyknos, Phobos, Ishiro, Aristides, Xantos and Palaistra while Bia and Nerio had already gone ahead. And yet another new name, a New Yorker I hadn't met until now: Astrape, who was a weather goddess and the wife of Deimos. They had a daughter, Achelois, who was living at Olympia at the moment.

Astrape turned out to be a pleasant acquaintance. She was petite and as fair as Deimos was dark, with silver blond hair curling around a heart shaped face with milk-white skin and eyes the colour of old jeans, and dressed as if she still stood with one foot in the middle of the last century.  
"I'm no warrior, far from it!" she confessed frankly. "So when Dei and the others go off warring I stay at home and take care of the Manhattan weather, making sure Central Park does not dry up during hot summers."  
"So you're the one who bring in those odd rains?" I asked.  
"That should be me, yeah." she smiled.  
"You always used to soak me when I did my jogging runs."  
"That helped wash away the sweat I take it!" she shot back and at that charming comment I couldn't help laughing.

Then there was Ares - he greeted me with a rather chaste hug.  
"You look fabulous, Aidra. Strengthened and more sure of yourself. I'm delighted for your sake."  
"Thanks, Ares," I smiled, and that had been it. That closeness from a few months back was gone like it had never been there. And I thought I missed it.

I have always loved New York for Christmas, and missing so much of it as I was going to do now felt really weird. But perhaps that would be my divine life from now on. I did take one quickie down the decorated Fifth Avenue, even if I didn't buy much, and I visited my parents and my brother with family who was in town for the holidays. There was the usual Christmas dinner with turkey on the table, a sparkling furnace in the fireplace and gossip fermenting the air. Now Arthur finally got to hear what had happened to me this fall. Not unexpectedly and just like mum and dad, he had hard to believe in it first and so had his young fiancée Isadora. Greek gods was for them a fairytale concept. And the Titan war something completely alien. So I had to prove my point by walking in the air and plucking out burning logs from the fireplace. This sort of scared Isadora, she looked at me as if I was a daemon who had stepped into the house. A monster or a freak, and I felt something knit in my stomach. Not for myself so much as for Arthur. My brother shouldn't have to suffer because of my fate. He didn't need his future wife to run scared out of the door, which I feared would happen if I didn't do this right. But what was right in this case? I sure didn't know. I would have to talk to Hekate or someone about it. Yet another problem brought trough by the clash of my two lives...

Nevertheless I had to push these worries behind me. Now I was going to Olympia Lagunas. Now I was going to celebrate. When I got home again I could give Arthur a call, make sure everything was all right between him and Isadora. And if not –and that was because of me - I promised myself I would find a way to fix it.

O0O0O

The concept of another dimension, which was not Earth, not somewhere else in the solar system or even in this universe was to me something strange, unbelievable. Like science fiction or fantasy, and in a way even more outlandish than living, breathing and walking mythological gods around us. The latter was something I had just got used to. Now, their existence didn't feel half as weird as the location of their home, the Aether and Olympia, being in another dimension. Yet that was where we were going now, leaving Earth and travelling further than even Einstein could have imagined. And to go to the Aether we were using this Portal, which was located on a tiny, disregarded and nameless island near Oak Island south of Brooklyn. An island owned completely by the Olympians.

That Portal didn't look the least like some Stargate circle but just like another door out from a garage-like building on an otherwise empty estate. Any mortals, I was told, who visited this island would just find this locked garage they were not able to open. A certain spell made sure that they were not overtaken by curiosity but sailed off again. When I passed through those doors in the back end of the building (doors which weren't there on the outside) I suddenly found myself in a wonderful park with a growth of such a lushness that I didn't think it was possible. A forest-like orchard filled with all kinds of flowers blossoming regardless of seasons. Rays of sunlight shot through whirling mists and when I looked up I saw a deep blue sky – covered in stars in spite of it obviously being daytime. This was the first sign that I was actually not at Earth anymore but somewhere else. In the Aether dimension.

Perplexed I stopped and turned around, the tattered, old garage doors had turned into a wonderful portico in ivy-covered and gilded marble, which doors Kydoimos was now closing since he was the last one in after Palaistra, sealing off the connection with Earth for the time being. Then I turned again and went after the rest, past a wonderful waterfall and ponds with fountains in, surrounded by statues. Then more waterfalls, smaller this time, no more than trickles to be true, gurgling down in tiny tarns surrounded by moss-covered stones. I became surprised of how wonderful the air smelled and how easy it felt to breath, while I walked with the rest down a path of snow white pebbles towards a clearing where the actual town was located. Beyond that town stretched a waste and seemingly endless ocean, the horizon barely visible beyond the mist – or was that clouds? However the most remarkable thing was what I saw when I looked up in the sky. It was the planet Earth hanging there, a bit more than 2/3 full and showing a continent which I recognized as an upside-down Africa together with the Mediterranean area, partly hidden by swirling clouds.

"Oh my..." I blurted out as I stopped dead in my tracks.  
"Yeah, impressive isn't it," Palaistra replied as she stopped next to me. "I've seen it for millennia and I still can't really get enough of it."  
"One never does," Kydoimos added with a nod of his head. "Perhaps because one was born up there."  
"I was born here," Palaistra told. "Still it matters a lot. As a little girl I used to look at that planet a lot, wondering what it was like. I could hardly wait to become old enough for a visit."  
"I never thought – are you sure this is another dimension – and not just some kind of – well, space ship?"  
"Actually, I'd say both," Kydoimos grinned.  
"Uh?" I felt my brows rocket up and nearly hit my hairline.  
"The Aether is actually some kind of pocket dimension, resting inside our Solar System. A diminutive universe. It's a bit hard to explain, I know, you have to ask Athena or Pythagoras or someone who's good with these things."

Pythagoras? That name sounded familiar, but I decided to not research it at the very moment. After all we were lacking behind the rest and Hekate had turned, calling out to us to not get the 'Earth Craze'. Some joke obviously, but then again I was not that keen on having any more jokes on me. It was frustrating enough to be the rookie goddess all the time. So we turned our backs on the vision of my home planet and followed the rest of the New Yorkers down the slope to the town by the seashore. Still I did find it a bit hard to not turn again and look at that orb up there in the sky. The orb which was my birthplace.

I had expected the village Olympia to look like an ancient Greek fantasy. Marble white Parthenons with rows and rows of white pillars. But I saw very little of that kind of architecture. The town consisted mostly of elegant villas looking like a blend between buildings from Venice and old Kyoto and with some Arabian and Gothic touches. There were toppy roofs, towers, spires, stained glass windows, cupolas and balconies and lush garden with all kinds of growth - everything making up an exotic yet well balanced blend of the whole world. Then there were those swirling clouds and mists which seemed to surround everything and cordon it off, creating the strangest of effects. Even though the village in front of me was sloping down towards the ocean, when I turned around I was looking right into a cloud filled canyon, spanned with the most delicate bridge which appeared to be made of gold and glass, the latter sparkling and glittering in the sunlight, shooting of rays of primary colours as I regarded it. To the left of the bridge was a huge waterfall which put the Niagara to shame and it was surrounded by rainbows of the most amazing kind.

On the other side of the bridge was the most beautiful neoclassic palace I had ever seen. There was the 'ancient Greece' I had been looking for.  
"That's the home of Hera and Zeus," Astrape told when I asked about it. "But we're not going there now. Come with me, I'll show you your place."  
"I have a place here?" I asked surprised.  
"Yes, it has just been dealt you, right next to me and Deimos in fact. And don't worry about its size. All houses appear rather moderate on the outside, but they are actually of a magic quality, you can make them as large as you want on the inside, and fill them with all kind of commodities you should desire, from a Morocco styled bathroom to a state of the art surround sound system. And waste spaces for your collected junk – and believe me, that's something you get a lot of as a god. Deimos have like 10 000 vinyl records for instance. Come! Let me show you!"

True, my new home did look like just a tiny Greek temple, a look Astrape told me was changeable as well. What I saw was just a default. And inside there was a hotel suite style bedroom, living room and bathroom, all opening up to a terrace facing the ocean.  
"I'll show you how it works later," the weather goddess said. "Just leave your stuff here and we're off for the Agora!"  
"What's that?"  
"You'll see!"


	11. The pantheon gathers

**The pantheon gathers**

_**Oenomaus** King of Pisa, in Elis (Southern Greece), and son of Ares and the Pleaid Sterope, one of Ares' warriors in my story_  
_**Juturna**, The nymph of a well in Latium, famous for its excellent healing qualities. She is said to have been beloved by Jupiter (Zeus)._  
_**Silvanus** A Latin divinity of the fields and forests, known for 'hanging with nymphs and satyrs'._  
_**Akheloios** A River-God of Aitolia in central Greece and often represented as the god of fresh water. Akheloios once competed with Hercules in a contest for the hand of the Aitolian princess Deianeira._  
_**Eros** is of course the god of love and son of Ares and Aphrodite_  
_**Flora** and **Chloris** were flower goddesses and the latter was mentioned as having been married to Zephyros (the West-Wind), and the mother of the fruit god Karpos_  
_**Priapos** The god of gardens and one of Dionysos' companions and in the myths mostly known for having an enormous p**is_  
_**Romulus** the founder of Rome was believed to be a son of Ares (Mars)_  
_**Enyalios, Enyo** and **Bellona** Minor war deities and somehow related to Ares, however the idea of how differs. Enyo was mostly believed to be the mother of Enyalos though_  
_**Hippolyte** Another Amazon daughter of Ares_  
_**Zelos** the avatar of force and one of Zeus' enforcers_  
_**Nemain** In Irish mythology, Nemain is the fairy spirit of the frenzied havoc of war, and she appears in my story as one of the warriors of Ares' group and married to Polemo_  
_**Flaviola** A character invented by me for this story as the goddess of turmeric_  
_**Aquitainos, Namios, Diamanda, Dinamarca, Ladon, Xalenthe, Pherax, Panakeia **- character invented by me for this story._

The Agora was the name of the assembly place in front of Zeus' Palace. At The Agora there was room for all of us to meet, celebrate, dine, debate or whatever we wanted to do. It was a large grass square surrounded by a high fencing of pillars and caryatides carrying architraves and in some places small roofs, however mainly it was the star sprangled heaven which was the ceiling here. In some places, wine and other growth were shadowing the ground and there low lounge sofas were filled with colourful pillowes – and people of course. In each corner there was a fountain and there were benches and tables everywhere, so you could sit down in smaller or larger groups, or mingle if you preferred to do that.

It was already crowded at the Agora when Astrape, Deimos and I arrived and there were people calling out to each other everywhere. Hugging and cheek kissing the European way, laughing and chatting, asking questions and telling stories. Posing for photos and showing things. A DJ was playing music in a booth, an eclectic blend of everything from chansons to hip-hop. As the three of us closed in on a motley crew of men and women - all youthful looking and very attractive - I felt kind of left out, and a bit like the ugly duckling, since everyone seemed to know each other well and were so happy to see each other! But soon Astrape grabbed my upper arm and pushed me right into the centre of the crowd.

"This shy beauty is Aidra of Manhattan," she introduced me. "Aidra Mandragore. Guess you've all heard of her, from Penthesileia's blog for instance. Hekate fed Aidra Ambrosia and she became deificated. At a theatre, mind you, haven't I told you that weird things always happens at theatres. And after that Aidra has been butchering Titans in South America like a real old style Amazon. Suffice to say she's the new hero of the Ares posse.  
"Oh, well, hero - I dunno..." I blushed, but Astrape wasn't listening, she started to introduce the gods and goddesses around me instead:  
"Here's Juturna, Silvanus, Aquitainos, Akheloios and Deimos' brother Eros, then we have twins Flora and Chloris and the latter's ex-husband Zephyrus, Flaviola, Nemain with her young son Namios, Oenomaus is another brother to Deimos, with his wife Diamanda and their daughter Dinamarca and her son Ladon. Then there's Athena's daughter Xalenthe with her husband Pherax. "  
"Hello everybody," I said. Not really original, but that was the only thing I came to think of. Besides, it was neutral and I wasn't sure how well some Manhattan wittyness would go down with this gang.

At the same time a petite girl came along pushing a trolley of refreshments. There were small food and what appeared to be Champagne in high glasses, and when everyone else served themselves so did I. A tiny pizza slice with some sea-food on and - yes it was Champagne. Cold, dry and free, just like Winston Churchill would have loved it! Naturally we toasted as soon as the trolley nymph was gone.  
"To the solstice!"

"You're in from New York?" Oenomaus asked me. He was a handsome, dark-skinned man with braided hair which was coloured in a deep purple hue and shaven on the sides and he wore thick golden chains like a hip-hoper. When I confirmed that I was, he went on:  
"Kyknos with you?"  
"Yes, but I made a roundabout to my new home together with Dei and Asty so I haven't seen him for a while."  
"Have to tell my brother I've got a medallion for his collection. Got it from a guy in Warszawa. He wanted a fortune for it."  
"And you knocked it down two thirds I assume," Deimos said with a smug face, where he stood with his hands resting on Astrape's sholders.  
"I refuse to be set up," Oenomaus stated. "In fact..."

"Aidra renamed him Kick Nose," Astrape told. That made Oenomaus fall into a booming laugher.  
"Kick Nose! Can't think of anything which fit the old brother better. Strange no one came up with that earlier."  
"Perhaps because we've seldom been speaking English with Kyknos." Deimos said. "He has after all been located in Eastern Europe for quite some time. The old bodyguard of the Tsars and all that. Was only resently he moved to the Americas, leaving Vlad and the oligarks to their own devices."

"Vlad?" the goddess named Diamanda asked. She was slender in a sinewy way and slightly Jewish looking with a dark-brown page surrounding a heart-shaped face with curious brown eyes.  
"Vladimir Putin," Oenomaus explained.  
"Is he related to Rasputin or not?" Ladon asked. He looked funny in his large cap and long caftan, like some rastaman who just happened to be white, and his green eyes glittered mischievously.  
"Beat me," Deimos shugged. "Besides who cares, save for perhaps Kick-nose who have been romaing mother Russia since the ages of Bysantium, leaving all kind of strange traces behind, from cossacks to nuclear warheads."  
"Not to mention that he fathered that big barbarian Genghis Khan!" Oenomaus laughed.

"Genghis Khan, huh?" I rose a brow. I should have stopped being surprised now but for some reason I hadn't.  
"Yeah," Juturna said. "But I don't think Geng is here this year. Still chasing after that villain Koreptin in Eastern China."  
"And getting laid by Cantonese beauties" Flaviola's laughter rang out as she shook her mane of red curls and emptied her glass of Champagne.  
"And Palaistra, she's coming this year?" Juturna asked. She looked a bit like Beyonce, but prettier and with sparkling, green eyes.  
"Yeah, she went with us. She ought to be somewhere around." Astrape commented while turning slightly and gazing out over the Agora to see if she could spot the daughter of Hermes. "I think she went looking for Nike."

Then everybody suddenly quieted down and the music stopped, some people were seating themselves on the benches or just right down in the grass. Soon the only thing heard was some chirping birds and the muted white noise from the fountains. I craned my neck to see what was happening, but there were too many towering people in the way. Darn, I've always been the tall one, thanks to both my parents who were way over average, yet here I felt like a midget. Only Juturna and Diamanda appeared to be shorter than my 5.8 feet. But no worries, soon the rest were sitting down, as benches appeared out of nowhere. It was then I saw him again. Zeus. This time he didn't look like a vampire hunter from The Matrix, but was dressed in an elegant, white linen suit and he sure carried himself like a royalty. Every dude running for office would commit murder for a charisma like that. Zeus was not alone this time, on his arm was an elegant lady in a coral-coloured haute couture dress contrasting beautifully against her milk-white skin and with her raven black hair made up in an elegant and slightly vintage hairdo. That must be the Lady Hera, another thing I was sure of.

Zeus and Hera stopped in the middle of the Agora and Zeus turned around as if checking us out, perhaps counting heads or something. Then he greeted us:  
"My friends! It's so great to see all of you here on this first solstice of the new decade. Just like every year, we begin this three days long celebration with our traditional barbeque here at the Agora. With the chance to say hello to all old and new friends and to exchange news and knowledge. Or - as most of you would label it - gossip."

At those words some laughter were heard and Zeus paused a second before continuing:  
"This year has been both good and bad. The Titans are growing in number out there, and they have stirred up the world quite a bit. Setting Russia on fire and flooding Pakistan, keeping all of us distracted while they have been making a rush for the American continents, to place a foot hold there. Once again we have Ares and his able fighters to thank for a halt of those plans." Zeus paused for cheers, whistles and applauds before going on. "Athena and her fighters have been doing a great job in Africa as well, while we had to relegate poor Hercules and his heroes to firefighters. And on a really sad note, we suffered the loss of two beloved gods in the Titan war: Valandor and Evanthe. They will be both be mourned and commemorated in due manner, their names etched in gold on the epitaph of Fallen Olympians. Then we have thwarted the pig flue and the next epidemic which didn't even start. And no, that was not labeled 'cow flue' I don't know wherever that came from. Finally, some really great news, the tries to clone unicorns out of fossil DNA might prove successful this time. Panakeia and her team inseminated a new embryo into a mare and we keep our fingers crossed she'll carry the foal to term this time and that unicorns will once more grace the Earth. "

Now there were even more cheers, no doubt because these news were so incredible positive. I had heard about the genetic experiments of the Olympians to bring back extinct species on Earth once more. Every try preceded by throughout research, because restoring a specie could harm the eco system as much as eradicating one. But I had no idea they had got so far with the unicorns.

"Then we have a few changes this year regarding which I would like to call for your attention. Apollo's traditional concert has been moved from today to the day after tomorrow, after the centaur races, since he couldn't make it until late tomorrow and he and his group need at least a day to rehearse and prepare. Instead we have moved our three movies 'till tonight, and they will as usually be showed at the outdoor theatres in the usual places. This years' winning vote was Avatar who got a landslide of 52 percent of all the votes." More cheering and some booing as well. "Proves it wasn't wrong to give it a new chance when it failed to score last year because it was so late in the game. Number two - the first Twilight movie, got 12 percent of the votes, and finally 'The Reef' shot by our very own Mirion!"

More cheers were heard and Astrape whispered to me:  
"Mirion is a great-grandson of Poseidon. And a renowned under water photographer under the mortal name Miras Sawensky." And Zeus went on:  
"Needless to say that' Clash of the Titans' didn't get one percent of the votes." More cheers. "And 'Percy Jackson' got even fewer votes."  
"That one was better." Oenomaus pointed out.  
"Who cares?" Chloris snorted.  
"Zeus does, he wasn't flattered by anyone." Flaviola pointed out.  
"I kinda liked Percy Jackson," Aquitainos protested.  
"The books are better," Flora said.  
"Ain't they always!" Chloris exclaimed and Deimos hushed at them.

"...are Hera and I the only ones who miss the good old rom-coms?" More laughter but some who were booing too, although quite good-natured. "Nevertheless the movies start at ten sharp, and as usual enjoying your favourite with the crowd is of course a chance worth taking. And this year I've made sure there will be popcorn enough for everyone. Then ladies and gentleman, last but not least I would like to do something I don't have the pleasure to do every year - it has been a while now to be true. I will introduce a new member to the pantheon. Some of you have met her already, here, in South America or in the Big Apple. I'm talking about Team Ares' new asset - Aidra of Manhattan. Welcome up here, Aidra, so everyone can see you!"

Oh my! I wasn't good at this. I felt how my cheeks were burning as I rose from the bench where I sat next to Astrape and Flora and started heading for Zeus and Hera out in the middle. This felt like when I had received an award for excellence with the NYPD and was asked to come up to the podium to accept it - only worse. Stage fright was just the middle name, I had so many butterflies in my stomach I felt I would start to fart them out. But people were applauding me along and I smiled and waved a bit, trying to look like some star walking the red carpet. When I pretended that it actually felt a bit better. Then even the longest walk comes to an end, and I sure felt that the curiosity directed at me was benevolent and positive. The people here were glad to see me.

When I reached Zeus and Hera I noted that both were smiling at me and Hera took my hands in hers and wished me a heartily welcome. She might have been described as harsh and cold in the myths, but there was warmness in her large, dark eyes and she appeared kind and honest.  
"What do I say to them?" I asked the divine couple as soon as Hera let go.  
"Whatever you want," Zeus beamed and I swallowed. For a second or two I looked around for a mike, and then I realized that there wasn't any. My voice would carry in spite. So I turned around and faced the auditorium, bowing first to the left and then to the right before I began:

"Citizens of Olympia. I'm not good at speaking in public. And I'm even worse at doing it in ancient Greek. But I will say the usual - or what I think is the usual at least. I'm really glad to be here, this is a beautiful and magnificent place and you're a really great crowd. I've been getting to know the New York gods with Ares at the helm over a couple of months now and if all of you are as great as these people I'd love to get to know all the rest of you. I'm sure going to enjoy this new life or mine. Thanks for receiving me here today and thanks to Hera and Zeus for helping me overcoming my nervousness and dare to speak here and now. Then, there's a barbeque pending and I bet you all are as hungry as I am so I'm not going to say anything more. Thank you."

As I bowed once more people were clapping even louder than before and I actually got tears in my eyes. When I felt I ought to, I stumbled back to my place and slumped down, feeling quite overwhelmed. Zeus was talking out there again, but I didn't pay attention as Flora patted me on the back with a:  
"Way to go, girl! You even managed to charm Hera. And that's not common."  
"Is she... " I began. "I mean how is... in the myths she came off as so unpleasant but is that true in real life too?"  
"Not the least," Astrape said. "Although she's a bit reserved from time to time. And during those centuries when Zeus kept sleeping around she sure chewed him out over that. Which I think she had every right in the world to do. If Deimos had inherited his grandpa's behavior in that department I'd make sure he'd regretted it really bad!

Not much later the barbeque started and with it my real Olympian mingle adventure begun. There were so many names and faces to remember that I felt my head was spinning. They were characters I knew from the myths, suddenly jumping out from the dusty sheets of old literature and beginning to sparkle with vibrancy. All of them quite updated into the twenty first century. I met Poseidon, god of the seas in a Coral Surf t-skirt, bleached jeans and shoulder-long dark brown hair, but with the mythological trident traded in for a Blackberry phone. His looks reminded me a bit of that Calvin Klein model Marcus Schenkenberg, who's picture poster I had stolen from an add pillar back in the 90ies, long before I decided to become a police officer. A poster, which had for a long time adorned the door to my loo.

There was Aphrodite, who looked quite a bit like Marilyn Monroe had done in her heydays and there was Hermes who looked like a young Tom Cruise with the fringe in his eyes and a pilot's jacket which looked much too hot for the warm day. Artemis was tall and alethic with emerald eyes and her long brown hair worn in a ponytail and she was talking to a blond hunk who turned out to be Alexander the Great.

I said hello to Demeter, goddess of agriculture who was pregnant and to a busload of muses, all of them wanting their picture taken with me. There was Dionysos a.k.a Baccus, god of wine and merriments, and he sureseemed to be enjoying himself, and he more or less surprised me by giving me a big hug. He looked a bit like the later actor River Phoenix and he came together with Pan, a little rascal in a knitted, crimson cap pulled down almost to his brow, and Priapos, a tall and bare-chested hunk who was cracking jokes on the others' expenses. At least until Dionysos threathened to wrestle him to the ground – which ended in both giving it a try, and both landing on their asses in the grass. Needless to say I had my fair share of laughter in that corner of the Agora.

Proioxis and Palioxis dragged me on to say hello to a lot more war gods and goddesses as well. There were more of their sisters and brothers, like Romulus, once founder of Rome and now guarding the American President using an undercover as a Secret Service agent, Enyalios, who looked like a buffed up Johnny Depp, and Hippolyte, who just as Penteseleia came from the Amazons. She was helping with protecting certain secret NATO assets these days, and living in Paris, France. There were also Enyo, former girlfriend of Ares, the old god Zelos, brother to Nike and Bia and finally Zeus and Hera's daughter Bellona. People I sure was going to meet later on, when it was back to business again.

There were also a lot of names I hadn't heard before, but no less interesting people. Gods and goddesses who had been around for millennia and who had a lot of stories to tell, people who had travelled almost the whole world and beyond and met all kind of interesting characters you only read about in history books. And they were curious about me as well. Needless to say it wasn't every day someone ate ambrosia and turned divine by mistake. I learned that the last time something similar had happened had been sometimes back in the 1940:ies, just after World War II.

To be true, most of these Olympians seemed relaxed, easy-going and pleasantly modest. But at the same time very cognizant of their place in the world. Not in a haughty way, mind you, but more as a natural state of fact. I guess that when you became aware that you were a part of the most powerful group in the world, although it was a hidden and secret society, you tended to take your importance for granted so much that you didn't even feel the need to push the fact and act important.

Anyhow there was those fine nuances of importance here as well as in every other society. Zeus and his Council of Twelve, the Dodekatheon, they were the crème de la crème. And just beneath them were those gods who had once been in the Council but resigned and then some other gods who had fought the Titan War. Then came a lot of other oldies who had been around for millennia and who held a position just because they knew a lot about all kinds of things and had seen and done a lot. Some took pride in the number of Neotitans they had killed, like Phobos and Deimos did, while others counted their importance after their imprint upon the mortal society, like Hephaestos. Some gods had been to faraway places, like the planet Pluto or in faraway paralell universes, while others could tell about meeting long gone mortal celebrities like Da Vinci, Cleopatra and Copernicus.

There was the daughter of Aphrodite who had been the model for the Mona Lisa and the great grandchild of Asklepios who had been there when Fleming discovered the Penicillin. And another guy who had starred in Charlie Chaplin movies. When push came to show the hierarchy of the Olympians beneath the absolute top seemed rather flat and more or less liquid. There were those who rose in status because of recent acquirements or stories to tell, like this under water photographer Mirion or the group who had stopped that Icelandic volcano from going off for real. Not to mention yours truly who was this years' novelty at Olympia. But I guessed my hype would soon become forgotten when life moved on and new things came to pass.

As the clock stroke ten I found myself together with some two hundred Olympians in a great movie theatre watching Avatar - for what time in order I had no idea, I loved that movie. When the movie was over, I was tired and wanted to go home and crawl dowin in bed, but I realized I lost the way so Flora was kind enough to walk me home. She was continuing to some after party somewhere and asked if I wanted to come, but I declined. I had been speaking and hearing ancient Greek whole day long and it had given me a headache, so now I just wanted to sleep it off. Thus I gave Flora a quick hug and then I crashed in that bed room in the little house I've been given, didn't even bother with brushing my teeth.


	12. Solinvictus

**Solinvictus**

_**Cloë, Aventinius, Ustasos, Kiaran** and **Narion** are people invented for this story and not part of any mythology. **Thalia** is one of the nine muses. **Medon** is a minor character in the Iliad._

Next day was the major celebratory day. And it wasn't like Christmas at all, it was more like some kind of Midsummers day. I woke up to soft sunshine shining through my semi-transparent silk gardens which were dancing in the soft breeze from the open windows. The wind which brought in lovely fragrances of garden growth and flowers. Don't ask me how I knew it, but most people seemed to be down at the beaches, so I decided to go there as well, after throwing on a pair of shorts and a tiny tank top, the warm weather didn't demand more. From my little villa there was a neat graveled walkway trough the beautiful town, and I passed lovely and grand houses hidden partly by greenery and those mists I was almost starting to get used to by now. All those magnificent homes looked like they were raised by billionaires. The only thing missing from 'regular' fancy areas were the high walls and the security arrangements. On the contrary, this place appeared totally open, people here didn't even lock their doors and there were no bars in front of any windows. But I guess that was to be expected in a small society of 800 inhibitors where everyone seemed to know everyone and where strangers seldom came.

The path lead down to a staircase which took me down to the marble walkway that run adjacent to the waterfront. I grabbed a can of coke from a large ice box which stood plugged into the electricity net by another staircase leading from the walkway and down in the actual sand. The coke was free - or paid for by Olympia. I guess it was only in a setting like this that socialism could work, where people were so few and so relatively wealthy that there was no reason to steal from or cheat upon the next guy. I wish that was something I could talk to my old colleague Melissa about, she could have her fits now and then and begin to rave about the socialistic utopia and how perfect it would be. At least until Rick or someone told her to get real with a 'my name is McCartney and I'm gonna lock you up if you don't shut up' or something along that line. I smiled a bit melancholic as I recalled my old colleagues, wondering what they were doing now. Probably some of them were off celebrating Christmas with their beloved ones. And Molly was ripe with pregnancy now, with less than two months to go before her little one was due.

Turning my head I saw that most people were gathered a bit to my left – I had no idea of the directions here, but if the sun was passing from east to west in the Aether just as on Earth, which was still up there by the way, that direction would be south. I decided to go there too.

A lot of the people were out in the water, frolicking around and playing with each other, splashing water or playing chase. They did in a way remind of college youths on a leave, take it that there were no college youths who could do stunts I saw performed here, like jumping and looping high up in the air, caterwheeling on the water's surface or lifting the next guy up in the air and throwing him several meters and down in the water. I thought I saw Ares out there, then again, there's a lot of Olympians who are tall and broad shouldered and with crew-cut jet-black hair. And for some reason I didn't think of using enhanced vision, I was just pleased with standing there and regarding the scenery, and once again marvel at the mists which hid the horizon and the stars which shone from an otherwise bright and blue day sky. Music was playing aloud, great music although I didn't recognize any of the tracks at all.

Other Olympians were on the beach milling around and socializing. A lot of them were also filming or taking pictures, and I regretted I hadn't got myself a camera. On the other hand there were always those Olympian Facebook-styled pages where I imagined I'd be able to download interesting stuff later. As I walked down to the area where most people seemed to be congregating I was hearing happy chatter everywhere, foods and beverages were being served, and all and everyone seemed to enjoy her- or himself heartily.

My first reaction was some kind of sensory overload, there was so much to see and so much to do that I didn't know where to start. But then there was a petite, coloured girl with her hair in neat cornrows and braided knots who came up to me, introducing herself:  
"I'm Cloë, pleased to meet you!" As she held out her well-manicured hand I took it and told my name.  
"I know," Cloë tittered, bobbing her head so that her large, golden earrings were dangling and sparkling.  
Everyone knows you! You're like THE talk of the town this year. But don't you worry, lass! Next year there'll be someone else! And probably someone who made a fool out of himself! Now, why don't you come over and sit with us!?"

That felt like a great idea, so I followed Cloë as she went ahead across the sandy beach, past a few people making marvelous sand sculptures and towards some reclining chairs and parasols where a group of four persons were sitting, playing a game of mah-jong. Cloë slumped down on a chair next to an equally dark-skinned man, calling out:  
"Look what I found! The celeb!  
"Oh, come on..." I began, but the two guys on the chair opposite of Cloë made room for me and then the only one I was familiar with offered me a glass of white wine from a bottle she lifted out of an ice bucket. I put away my empty can of coke and accepted the glass instead, while Cloë began anew:  
"I guess you know Nike!"  
"Met her in New York," I nodded to the blond girl who had given me the wine and Nike smiled back with a 'hi'.  
"Sitting next to me is Medon, my brother. And next to you are Aventinius and Kiaran."  
"Nice to meet you as well!" I nodded to Cloë's brother who looked like a blacker and younger 50 cent, Aventinius who was a blond wonderboy with a red dragon tattooed all over his torso and Kiaran who looked all Irish with his flaming strawberry blond Beethoven hairdo and freckled white skin. While they smiled back Cloë went on:  
"Look, here comes the boss too!"

As Cloë bent her neck at someone behind me I turned around facing a tall and stunning woman with the look of an athlete and her long blond hair braided the Cajun way and tied back in a ponytail. She wore a short, blue beach dress and a white belt around her slim waist and she appeared very timeless, like a fairytale heroine. And then there was that familiar look upon her face. Those high cheek bones and cleaved chin that I had learned being the trademark of the elder Olympians.  
"Hello Athena!" Nike called out, confirming what I was suspecting. "You saw Apollo?"  
"Yeah, he won't come down, they have already started rehearsing! Oh - hello Aidra! Finally I come across you! Nike, Ares and the others have been talking a lot about you, and thus awoken my curiosity. So pleased to meet you at last!"  
"Why, thank you, it's great to meet you as well, Athena!"

Ares' sister sat down next to Cloë and regarded me, her eyes were as blue as a clear autumn sky, a nuance more turquoise than Zeus' but all in all she looked very much similar her mighty father - a female version if I might say that. Now she proved that she really was the goddess of wisdom, by not opening our conversation with a cliché comment. Instead she went right down to my past:  
"Ares told me you was a policewoman back in New York, and that you were a few notches above the rest even as a mortal. With fast reflexes and the ability to take in a situation fast and to act without hesitation."  
"He did?"  
"Yes, he said that you seemed to have some supernatural abilities even as a mortal."  
"He never told me that."

"Well, my li'l brother is very greedy with praise; he doesn't believe it's good for the morals of the fighters if a commander is too generous with that topic."  
"Yeah the others kept saying that," I nodded. "It was the same in the police corps when he was my boss there. Although to me he came off fair, and I learned to respect him a lot. But supernatural powers? Even before I became deificated, you mean?" I asked, wondering what Athena aimed at with this business like conversation on a holiday like this. Nike had handed Athena her glass of wine and then the others had returned to the mah-jong, discussing some peculiarity with the rules, even engaging Cloë, who was not unexpectedly siding with her brother.  
"Yes, he made some hints at precognition and a bit too much agility and too fast reflexes for the general mortal. So while Ares just take the found golden nugget and put it in his pocked with a grin, I want to bite into it to find out it's worth and origin."

Now Kiaran looked up, pushing back some of that flame-like hair:  
"You wanna bite the celeb? Now can we really have that? Thenie-weenie doing a Dracula?" He grinned.  
"Ah, shut up, Celt!" Athena replied and aimed a mock-slap at him which he easily dodged. Then she turned to me and got serious again:  
"Now, before I too give in to leisure chit-chat I'm just a bit curious about your ancestry. There might've been some immortal blood within you even before you drank the Ambrosia. And it was probably that heritage which triggered your apotheosis for starters."  
"Well... " I prolonged my reply, looking at the goddess opposite me who was thoughtfully sipping her wine, regarding me over the rim of the glass. "My ancestry is part Native American. Cherokee. The rest of my ancestors came from all over Europe. Hungary, Bulgaria, Sweden, Ireland. Mandragora was the Hungarian family name of my great-great grandfather who came to the States in the mid 19:th century. It became Mandragore in the states, was Mandrake for a while but my father reclaimed the older version."

"Mandrake, hmm..." Athena pondered. "That name indicates some connection to early magic. The mandrake plant is hallucinogenic, and in consequence often used in magic rituals. Perhaps that might be some clue to your origin, Hungarian ancestors with magic abilities. Perhaps there's an Etruscan link somewhere. If it interests you we could look into it together. Nevertheless, I was merely curious, so if you excuse me for poking around, we can do like the rest and relax a bit now."  
"It's all right!" I smiled. "I've nothing exactly to hide. No deep, dark secrets. As far as I know of that is."  
"Curious is her middle name," Kiaran teased. "And I'm getting a bit hungry. So what you guys say if I get some of the nymphs to come over here with a lunch wagon?"  
"Sounds like a brilliant idea to me," Cloë smiled.

Then I had got some of the gathered people straightened out in return. It turned out that Cloë and Medon were grandchildren of Athena, their father was her son Oreiro, and that Cloë had a twin sister named Zoë too. There were more new names dropped as Cloë begun drawing up a family tree with a stick in the sand. Including a brother to Oreiro named Helikaon and a sister named Nendra who was married to Kiaran but who was not around for the moment.

Meanwhile Athena took up an IPhone:  
"There's a game of Search And Destroy about to begin within an hour, and I suggest we form - we're seven if you'll join us, Aidra - let's grab one more and make two teams! We sure got the time to eat as well before the fun starts."  
"What's 'Seek and Destroy'?" I naturally wanted to know.  
"It's a kind of spy game." Medon explained "The arrangers have hidden 'enemies' along the Lagunas and our mission would be to trace them and eliminate them. We're playing in teams, usually four or five in each and the one who finds most bad guys or hidden treasures or the ones with the highest ranking will win. There'll be clues along the way, arrangers to bribe, others who shoot at you, points to gather and all that kind of funny little details."  
"Like a real life computer game?" I asked.  
"Just like that, yeah. Or a role play, but without the dress-ups. It's all in the Intranet." Medon said and nodded to Athena who was still fiddling with her phone.

"So are we in?" Athena challenged us with a risen voice, at that time reminding a lot of Ares. Not unexpectedly that triggered the same reaction as with my Manhattan colleagues - a roaring YES.

Thus we had split up in teams, while lunch arrived, some kind of seafood and chicken salad with a chili-tasting and mellow sauce of the kind I'd rejected as a mortal, because it was jam-packed with calories. I had ended up in a team with Nike, Aventinius and Medon while Athena, Cloë and Kiaran had texted out a call for a fourth member and got a reply by no one less than my Manhattan colleague Kyknos. So I had to explain the nickname Kick Nose to Athena and friends too. Then we were off, and Medon kept explaining the rules to me as we went along. I had felt a bit uneasy about teaming up with Nike first, but she was nothing like her sister. While Bia had taken almost every chance to berate me, Nike was encouraging and inspiring and even if her attitude was hi-keyed it was far from annoying.

A few hours later we came out to the outskirts of the large, forest-like park where I had entered the day before trough one of the Portals. A park I had learned was called Parnassos. We were now looking for a map that was said to be hidden here, when I suddenly heard well known music booming out from a large, newly risen stage. A familiar voice was singing:

_You look at me girl and you shine  
Makes it easy to make you mine  
Silent but your eyes speaks a world  
These are words longing to be heard  
Here I say, here's my hand  
Let's walk to the promised land_

_It's a happy day  
A truly happy day  
Happy happy day  
Happy happy happy day_

Solinvictus!

"Pardon me!" I excused myself to my team mates, "but I just got to check this out!"  
"It's Apollo," Nike informed. "Rehearsing for tomorrow night."

But I was hardly listening, I sprinted down that shallow slope towards the shore and the stage mounted in front of it. As I rounded the baldachin and came up in front of the stage, I sure recognized the singer of Solinvictus standing by the microphone. Paul Oliver. Apollo! Dressed in red leather pants and a black T-skirt with tribal prints in white, both clothes clinging tightly to his marvelous body.

With Apollo being the Greek god of the sun and music it all made sense! Solinvictus! The invincible sun! Including the fact that Apollo looked like he wanted to lure away every female onlooker to the bed chamber. And perhaps some of the men too if the rumors of his sexual experimentation lust were true. I stopped right there, where some other Olympians had gathered, and looked up at Apollo. He was the only one I saw at that moment, they guy with the guitar, the lady by the keyboard and the drummer didn't exist in my world. Nor did the other onlookers with their little picnic. They had become reduced to simple extras, moving about in the corner of my eyes. And that competition and my poor team mates were also forgotten, as Apollo reached out with his hand for the bridge:

_Here is my happy hand  
Let's walk to happy land  
Together you and I  
And never question why_

I found myself making the same gesture, until I realized how corny it must have seemed and I turned it into a wave instead. Apollo! I should have known! There I had been feeling like a sad old lady dreaming about younger men - while Apollo really must be like hundred times as old as I. Then again with that unlined face and that gorgeous body with those firm abs and that nice little ass, who in her right mind would have guessed that he was a day over 22? No, I had just been so surprised that he seemed to know all and everything about being on stage, and I had wondered how he had learned all that in such a short time as that presumed age had hinted at.

"You coming or you gonna stand here all day?" I suddenly heard Nike behind me as Apollo ad-libbed on the last parts of the refrain. And as I replied something untellable Nike just sighed and shrugged:  
"Another bee drowning in the honey pot. Then I guess we'll have to continue without you. Time is dire, Aidra."

The next second Nike was gone and I didn't care the slightest. I was so preoccupied with the man on the stage. Blown away into some kind of teenage infatuation. I guess I was a laughable sight but I couldn't care less. I was enthralled!

Apollo and his Solinvictus went through four or five more songs, Suave, Lighthouse, Hardwired and then at least one new one. After that they settled for a break and before I knew it Apollo had jumped down from the stage and past the picnic posse - and was standing right in front of me. Now I suddenly felt shyness hit me like one of Zeus' famous lightning bolts.  
"Hi!" said Apollo and beamed like the very sun itself.  
"Hi!" I replied, holding out my hand. "I'm Aidra."

"The newbie from New York! I'm flattered by your attention!" Apollo replied as he took it.  
"I was going to say the same!"

Apollo's laugher rung out at my words and he sure had a way of looking at me that made my heart melt.  
"Welcome to Olympos Aidra!"  
"Thank you! You're going to perform tomorrow night?" I asked conversationally, knowing that my question was stupid but trying to not sound tongue-tied.  
"Yes. We were supposed to have been here yesterday, but then there was a misunderstanding with my booking agency and they wanted us in Rome on that very night. And who can turn down the eternal city? Not me at least. Then, of course, you have to give your audience what they want or they'll leave you."  
"But really, it's not like you of all people need to push a 21:th century musical career, right?"

The god of music laughed again and tilted his head and I died a little bit more there in the grass in front of the stage with the sea behind us.  
"Perhaps I don't need it - but I sure want it. I love doing this, and so does the members of my band. Touring, recording and singing, nothing could be more fun. More fulfilling. Well perhaps a beautiful woman then."  
"Is that a flattering tone I hear?" I hinted. Perhaps I was pushy but why not? If this was a dream and I would wake up, then who cares? And if this was real, if I really was here in this paradise place meeting Paul Oliver of Solinvictus and finding him to be none other than Apollo - well then he had probably had more than a million girls flirting with him over the millennia and was undoubtedly more than used to it now.

Yet, if he was used to it and even tired of it, he showed nothing of it as he met my eyes in a flirtatious way and replied:  
"Maybe!"  
"Maybe, how?"  
"Maybe if you want it to be it is!"  
"Really?"  
"Really! Now come on, Aidra, why play this butterfly game? Why not admit you were eyeing me out earlier and can't wait to do more than just that!"

"Apollo! You have quite high thoughts about yourself right?" I said but I couldn't help caving in. And he just smiled a bit and tilted his head the way he had done on TV a thousand times before, although seeing it live it was so much more mesmerizing.  
"Let's just say I have become good at reading people's reactions over the years. Experience is learning. And you're quite obvious, young one. Still there's more to that interest than the mere groupie fascination I can tell."  
"Perhaps because I'm not sixteen anymore. I've been around. I know that ogling a hunk on a stage is one thing and taking it further on is a completely different story. And yes, I've been there done that with teenage infatuations in my youth as well. Although I was more into certain actors rather than musicians. Just coincidences in those cases I assume."

"You're right, it was probably coincidences," Apollo replied. "I guess in youth, when we learn to understand love, we need something to focus on, to project upon. Something which isn't really real, but there to dream over, to 'practice' upon. Then, that day when it becomes real and passes beyond mere - ogling, then there'll be no more room for coincidences. You will start making your choices based upon what you're subconsciously looking for. Without thinking you tend to aim in certain directions, following your heart, disregarding your mind. And if you look carefully you can see there's a pattern to your choices. Then, when the real thing hits, you will hopefully know it. Perhaps not from day one, but eventually you will."

"Do you believe in that, Apollo? A destined mate, a match made in heaven?"  
"I'm not sure. And believe me I do doubt. After all I'm 4000 years old and have yet to meet her. I've been there - or thought I've been there several times over the millennia - but it never lasted."  
"You're... you old Olympians... you think so much!"  
"Perhaps we have had the time to do so. Aidra will you..."

Then Apollo was interrupted by that voluptuous, raven haired girl who was the keyboard player:  
"We ought to start over if we're going to go over all the songs once more and having the time to do so before dinner."  
"Relax, Thalia!" Apollo replied, glancing at his Rolex. "It's more than 4 hours left until dinner. And it's usually late anyway."  
"But we have more than an hour of effective time to go over, and I sure want to take a bath afterwards."  
"Oh, well Thalia, we'll get right to it then. Get the others, I'm coming right away."  
"Don't slack, Mr. Time Optimistic!"  
"Promise, my dear muse!"

Then he turned to me again:  
"You're staying? So we can talk later?"  
"Okay!" I replied, although what I really wanted to say was something along the lines of 'certainly'. But I didn't want to sound that easy to get. On the other hand Apollo did probably know what my 'okay' meant in this case. With a smile and a mock-salute the god returned to the stage, and the second before he jumped up there again, he blew me a kiss.

0O0O0O

Just perfect, I thought to myself as I watched Solinvictus going over their repertoire once more, I think I'm about to fall in love. Was the timing right? Was the man right? Well, love strikes blindly doesn't it? And Apollo might be a man with rumors, but just as I had told him earlier I was no novice, far from it. I could take care of myself. In any case I guessed nothing could be worse than it had been with Dave. His death had really broken my heart in pieces, and it had been so hard to stitch those shattered fragments back together again. To be true, I still carried the scars. And I still remembered those guys I had used for 'bypass surgery', stupid stories all three of them. The first one - Austin, had almost been a copy of poor Dave. Same looks, same origin and same profession - well almost. Dave had been an ambulance driver; Austin drove donated organs and blood between hospitals. And it had taken me almost a year to realize what I had been doing. That poor Austin was just doubling for someone who didn't exist anymore. A pale copy, I was not going to do that anymore.

Then there had been Richard and Cornelis, none of them really love, just comfort - heart medicine. But all of that was behind me now, I was through it, I could manage. And I sure intended to take this new life and all it had to offer for real. And that very much included Apollo!

0O0O0O

The Solstice dinner, which took place outside under thousands and thousands of coloured lanterns on that Agora, was like nothing I had experienced before. I have of course heard about royal dinners and Nobel Price dinners, but they seemed to be like Mac Donald's takeaways compared to this. It wasn't the amount of food, far from it, but it was the cooking. The seafood starter, the deer and fresh vegetables for main course and the cheese interlude before the fantasy dessert of three kinds of chocolate. And all through the most perfect wines and other drinks. Then the company was terrific as well, I ended up together with a mix of new and old friends, Nike, Hekate, Kyknos, Ishiro, Pentesileia, Androkles, Silvanus, Astrape, Deimos and one new face, Ustasos - a grandson of Phobos, who was a kind of 'sleeper' agent on the British Islands. And even though we had mighty fun all of us, I found myself glancing over more than once to that table where Apollo was sitting, wondering if he would catch my eye and when the next step was due.

There wasn't dancing or anything like this afterwards. After all everyone here was more or less related. Instead there was a price ceremony for the winners in that Hide and Seek, a team consisting of Artemis together with four other people I didn't recognize and then ceremonies for some other competitions which had taken place during the day. After that two sons of Zeus were coming up on stage - Castor and Polydekes, who did some kind of standup stunt related both to world events and more internal jokes which had people doubling over with laughter. I didn't get all of them, they seemed very internal and connected to older Olympian events, but they had managed to pluck in my ascension and Kyknos' new nickname in their stew as well. Finally there was Narion, god of fireworks, who gave us a magnificent show in the sky. After that there was more time for mingling and I finally got a chance to go looking for Apollo.

And he found me soon enough. Found me and lured me to run away with him to his place almost opposite of the great lagoon where people had bathed earlier in the day. Something which wasn't really hard - He had already managed to enchant me with those sparkling blue eyes and that smile which blew my mind. So when he reached out with his hand that night with a simple 'come' I didn't hesitate to leave my drink and my place at the bar and follow the god of the sun. And although there were a few people who looked our way for gossip, I couldn't care less.


	13. Cloud Nine

**Cloud Nine**

The myths are full with these stories of Apollo's failures in love. There were Daphne, Melia, Okyrrhoe, Bolina and Cassandra - just to mention a few of all those girls who had turned the god of music down. And I figured that if he hadn't been completely impossible back then, those girls didn't know what they had missed.

When I followed Apollo away from the party that night I was well aware that this might as well end up as a one night stand. However I figured I would be fine with it. It would be a memory to treasure. After all this felt so great, so right to do that night. It felt so real and so natural. The short fling with Ares so totally forgotten - after all it had been more than six weeks since we had been more than friendly towards each other and I truly felt that what we had done was something in the past. Ares had been hot, steaming but also quite a bit dangerous, and men like that had never really appealed to me. Apollo on the other hand felt more like the happy-go-lucky guy who smiled with life and had it smiling with him. He was an artist, a creator and he was sensitive and emotional in a way that made the vibes feel so right. I had seldom felt so sure about what I was doing with a man as with Apollo that night.

Holding his hand I followed him from the party going on at the Agora (a party which would be going on for many hours more) and across the bridge over the Waterfall Canyon and down a meandering road. The ever present Earth had got company by the moon in the sky, a thin crescent was hanging low in the west and all those stars were burning with an impossible brightness. It was very exotic and very romantic and for what time in order I felt I had to pinch myself to realize I wasn't dreaming.

Halfway to Apollo's place some other Olympians had abandoned the great event for an after party in a house by a tiny lake. Lights came strobing out of the windows on the second floor and loud voices and pumping music could be heard, Inna singing 'Fly With You'. We passed by that loud and wild celebration and Apollo said:

"Cheiron's place. Chei's Poseidon's half-brother and one of the biggest party animals in the club. I bet they won't be done partying before noon tomorrow."  
"Cheiron? The Centaur?"  
"The very one."  
"Wow - I didn't know there were actual horse-men."

Apollo begun to laugh - gee, I loved that ringing laughter!  
"Aidra, the centaurs are no hybrids, although it can be very easy to believe so. No half-man-half-horse being! The Centaurs are actually horse whisperers. This mean that they can talk with the steads on a telepathic level. This communication makes the man and the animal working in a very close symbiosis, understanding every nuance of each other. When the Centaurs mount their steads they become - actually very much like a unit. But still separate individuals, no hybrid."

I thought it over for a while, what Apollo said was making a whole lot of sense. I remembered that movie 'The Horse Whisperer' by Robert Redford and realized that the myth was still around although transformed into modern times.

We passed one more of those spun-off parties and walked up a long road until we passed trough ornate iron gates and arrived into a large park.  
"My humble place." Apollo said and smiled. His home was anything but humble as it shone of white marble in the dusk of the Olympic night – which never got really dark. Magic lanterns were lining the trees up to the entrance, like colourful specks and the fragrances of various nocturnal flowers were clearly notable even if they didn't assault you like they might in places. First then did I realize that since my ascension into godhood all my allergies had gone. I didn't sneeze when being around cats or tulips anymore, something I had pondered somewhat already that night over at Hekate's place, she had after all four cats in her flat.

As we came closer the light beneath the portico lit up even brighter, going from blue to pale pistachio and the door opened up silently.  
"Aidra?" Apollo hesitated on the threshold.  
"Yes?"

"I want to go all the way with this. No hesitations. I hope that's what you want too. Because if you do not, we can say good bye here and now and perhaps try against some other time. Or perhaps not. But if you come inside - then we will sure go all the way."  
"That's my intention too." I smiled slightly.  
"Good. The reason I do ask, is because there are some girls who change their mind, and I have learned to respect that. Nothing good comes out of doing something you do not desire and I want it all to be wonderful and magic and any doubts and worries clouding the event and no disagreements afterwards."

"I know." I reached out with my hand and stroke his cheek. It had become a bit whiskered, tickling the palm of my hand a little. Not like Ares of course, Apollo wasn't growing his hair half as fast and thick. I guess that came with being fairer.  
"Good!" He laid his arms around my waist.  
"Yes, Good! I know how to - well protect myself. Goddesses don't need the pills. They just don't drop their eggs unless they want to. Hekate told me about mind-controlled ovulation and what to do should I one day want to become pregnant. But not now of course," I smiled.  
"You're lucky girls who have that control," Apollo said. "We dudes just have to face the fact, when some girl comes up and claims that you're the dad." Then he stopped talking and started kissing instead. So I replied with my lips and my tongue, felt his desire starting to burn hot and triggering mine as well. Then I knew he had been right. When we were through that door and inside there was nothing stopping us from going all the way with our intents. Not even the dropping of a nuke could separate us now it felt.

Apollo guided me further inside, over carpeted marble floors and up a flight of broad stairs, across a sitting room and a hallway to a large bedroom dominated by a large four poster bed. I was slightly aware of magnificent and expensive furnishing, pots with fresh flowers, exquisite art on the walls and Persian carpets soft against our bare feet since we had lost our shoes in the entry hall. In that bedroom candles burned from chandeliers and on a low table in front of the bed was a glass amphora with what appeared to be red wine and two glasses of bluish crystal.  
"Wow" I breathed. "You expected..."  
"I didn't really. I prepared this on the way here, when I became more or less certain that you wanted this as much as I did."

"I'm still impressed. Then again I'm not yet really used to the divine society. To me a lot of things you guys take for granted are novelties for me."  
"It sure was for me once too. Then again you'll have a lot of time to get used to it, sweetheart." By those words Apollo handed me a glass of wine, more divine tricks, I hadn't even seen him pouring it. I took it with a nod of thanks and sipped on it. It was as wonderful as all the rest of the wine I had drunk in this alluring place and I was sure that the average Californian Red would never be sufficient again.

Apollo met my looks over the rim of his glass, smiling. The crystal was sparkling slightly in the soft, ambient light. I smiled back as we toasted silently. Then, one more sip, and on a quiet agreement we put our glasses away, back on the low marble table. Then we were in each other's arms again, kissing and caressing. Apollo started out tender and soft but grew hotter as the seconds ticked away on the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. I followed through, started to button up his shirt, feeling the warmth of his body triggering every nerve in my hands. That made me grow impatient and the last buttons I just tore off and could hardly be bothered with the awareness that I had just ruined a 1000 dollars shirt. Neither could Apollo to be true, on the contrary he breathed in hard at the clicking sounds of buttons hitting the marble floor.

He had his hands at my neck, much more skilled as he slowly pulled the zipper down my back and touched my skin, feeling his way, pushing down the textile over collars and liberating my bosom. I wore no bra anymore, I didn't need one. He stopped along the way to feel around my breast - and for a millisecond that discomfort hit me again - as I remembered, how saggy they had been since I hit thirty. However now they were firm and round again, and with nipples hardening rapidly beneath his accomplished hands. I had no reason for feeling awkward about myself anymore, I was just as beautiful as the next goddess, and back in Manhattan men had begun turning their heads after me - quite a newness for Aidra Mandragore!

Then Apollo finished undressing me by just yanking at the string of my trousers - and using divine magic simply pulling them off. That made me gasp out of surprise - at the same time it was very erotic. Now I was nude however I still had some way to go with the man in front of me. Without hesitation I untied his belt and slid his trousers down his slender and fit hips, marveling over his bulge before liberating a manhood which was - although not as impressive as Ares' had been - more than enough to give me a shiver of pleasure. It was already hard and felt heavy and promising in my hand. As I touched it, it was Apollo's turn to gasp.

"Aidra - oh Aidra!" he whispered. Then, with one swift motion, he lifted me up and placed me back down on that large bed, tracing the contours of my body with his hands. Hotter now, faster, more intense than ever before as his huge form towered over me and he started to kiss me all over, hit all the sensitive spots as if he already knew where they were located upon me. My voice had turned husky with desire when I called out his name, touched his neck and back with my hands, and then further on to his firm ass, squeezing it gently first then quite a bit harder as he stroke inside my tights with his skilled artist's hands, playing my body as if it was one of his instruments, a claviature where every key stroke triggered pleasures. Nothing was random, every touch was building up a harmony, and the lead motif was centered around my secret place, mysterious, hot and sensational. This was the music of passion! And Apollo sure was the god of this music as well.

As he finally completed his sweet torture and entered me, I wasn't the least bothered with finding out that he had seemed smaller than Ares was. That was not the point at the moment. The point was his skills and the way he made my body respond. The way he made me feel at home and pleased with myself when I discovered that I was awakening feelings of pleasure and desire in him too. When I came, with sparkles before my lids, it was perfection. Pure perfection! THIS was divine, everything else was just a game on a board with pawns moving in certain directions. This was surprising and it broke all the rules. A few heartbeats later Apollo came, while I was still in the middle of my chain reaction. Perfect timing!

O0O0O

I woke up with the sun tickling the lids of my eyes, the night had been filled with lengthy and strange dreams, of which I didn't remember that much other than that they had been complicated and somewhat haunting. I recalled the night before - and Apollo, and felt for him as I turned slightly. He had got up, I soon found out, although the bed still held the warmth of his body. So I caressed the pillow a bit instead, inhaled the remnants of his scent, while listening for the sounds of the day. Through the open window came birdsong and the breakers of the Ocean of Unknowness and from somewhere inside the house I heard water running through pipes and music playing. Some kind of ambient electronica, nothing I recognized.

I turned again in Apollo's big bed, ended up on my back, looking up in the ceiling, there was a painted sky with birds and fluffy clouds and 'down' from my point of view, gilded spires and rooftops of a town which probably only existed in some artist's imagination. I stretched while looking at that sky, feeling how restlessness began to haunt me. The next moment I swung the legs over the edge and rose, decided to go look for my host - and a bathroom with a shower. My clothes were strewn all over the room, party outfit, which felt a bit odd to put on now but I had no other... - wait! There was that trick I had recently learned. I pictured the bedroom of my little villa and then the closet where I had hung my clothes. From that selection I grabbed a pair of jeans shorts and a black tank top with golden leafs and orange roses printed upon it together some underwear and then I brought it through the dimensions and here. Instead I sent back the party dress, and put it in a heap on my bed. I wasn't skilled enough to hang it neatly in the closet yet. Now, that would do! A shower now! Apollo ought to have some extra towels at least.

O0O0O

"Have you decided what you want to do with your house?" Apollo asked as we sat by the breakfast table in the semi-shadows of the large palm trees at the terrace at the back side of his house. The terrace had the most wonderful view over smooth rolling meadows leading down to the sea. Out there were some boats with white sails and what appeared to be a group with a kite and I was still amused by the improvement of my eye-sight. I turned my head away from the view and looked at my host who was sitting opposite of me and drinking his coffee.  
"I have a magnificent flat in New York these days," I replied.

"That wasn't what I meant," he said. "I was thinking about here. In Olympia Lagunas. "  
"It's rather tiny."  
"Aidra, don't worry about its size. Most houses appear tiny on the outside, but they are actually of a magic quality, you can make them as large as you want on the inside, and fill them with all kind of commodities you could possibly desire. Let me show you when we finished eating!"

"Yeah, I do remember," I said and put down my cup of coffee. "Astrape actually told me. I could change certain things."  
"Certain things?" Apollo grinned. "Aidra, you can change whatever you want! You should really see some of the places! The muse Calliope's for instance. It's a tiny rotunda on an islet peeking out into the lagoon, but inside – it's a castle! She has a ballroom for hundreds, a waste kitchen since she loves to cook, her own recording studio, a music room with a grand piano, a waste bedroom, a ditto bathroom and walk-in closet... Well you better see for yourself. Or you can check out Pomona or Kydoimos or Aquitainos or... well there's a lot of places which sure will surprise you. Not mine though, I'm not entirely comfortable with the system, so I'm keeping a 'large' house and only fill it with what I do feel I need."  
"I think it sounds cool." I replied. "And practical."  
"Well, call me old-fashioned in that sense then. But when the plasticity magic, as it's called, was discovered around the year 200 Modern Era, I was already 1500 years old and quite used to the old ways. Not really that keen on changing. So I kept my little large house."

"This one?"  
"Yes, this one. Although I've allowed Hephaestos and his gang to make some changes. Like plumbing, electricity, broadband et cetera."  
"Yes, that's something I've been wanting to ask. If this is another dimension, how come cell phones and Internet access works here just like – well just like back on Manhattan for instance?"  
"Eh, the exact working you have to ask Hephaestos or someone of, but you might've notice the antenna on that island you stepped through in New York. That one and several others at the Portal points beams up and down all signals here and then transfers them magically through the Portals, and uplinks them here. There's also an antenna around here, aimed at Earth, which can be used in case the magic uplinks has to be dropped."  
"Huh, sounds peculiar," I made a face. "How can you send data using magic?"  
"The same way as you can use either wireless or with cable I think," Apollo shrugged. "Remember, magic is just another force of nature. Remember also that I'm no engineer, I'm not good at how these things work. And obviously not good at explaining them either."

"I guess I'm fine with that, what matters really is that it works." I said and looked at Apollo as he helped himself to another slice of toast and spread some lactic cheese over it. "I guess I'll have a look at these houses and try to figure out what I want to do with my own. Besides changing it from a Greek temple, which has never been my thing really."  
"You better do, Aidra! Next time you come here you might want to throw a house warming party. People will expect you to do that."  
"I bet!" I smiled. "If there's anything I've learned about the Olympians, since I became a part of this group, is how much everyone loves to party. There always appears to be some reason for a celebration."  
"Yes that's the way it should be. Working hard, partying hard. Don't ever underestimate a party's social function, Aidra. As a glue to tie us together, to come together and talk a bit more informal, to relax, wind down and catch up breath. And to let lose some endorphins. It'll help you cope through the next run of hardships. It help you not only to live but to be alive!"  
"It makes sense Apollo. This music, by the way? What is it?"

Apollo rose a brow at my change of subject. That was another thing with those gods, they seldom rushed through conversations. But that had probably to do with the immortality thing again. They had all the time in the world to discuss a subject troughoughly while most mortals were challenged by a much more limited amount of time.  
"They're called Royksopp," he replied. "From Norway."  
"Norway? I like it."  
"You sound like you have a hard time believing the Norwegians can make good music!"  
"No, no, Apollo, don't laugh at me. I'm simply not so - well versed with music from outside the United States. I do admit we're quite isolated culturally. We seem to think we are best at everything and thus we don't give outside music a chance. But I swear, I heard more great music during my months in Latin America than during my whole lifetime up to now. And it's not like the music of New York is bad in any way. I mean there's Madonna, Aretha Franklin, Prince, Snoop, Lady Gaga... But it's the same songs being played all over on the radio. All the time. No variation. But when I came to Brazil! The Fado! And all those Argentinian pop songs with the romantic, Spanish heartbreaking lyrics! And Penteseleia's French electronica. And all that J-pop! The Euroland stuff! Things I never knew existed. So Norway shouldn't really surprise me I guess. But still it does."

Apollo smiled as he reached out an took my hand:  
"Aidra? What do you know about the classics?"  
"Very little I admit."  
"And opera? Chansons? Metal? Reggae? Dubstep? Gothica?"  
"Not that familiar with any genre. Besides of having a neighbor who smoked weed so it came through the ventilation pipes and into my flat. He played reggae all night long. At least until I went down and told him off. Told him I was a cop and that I could nail him soooo bad for the ganja. But I was willing to 'forget' about that if he just turned the music down."  
"And did it help."  
"Certainly. He freaked out!"  
"And may I tempt you with some of those musical styles you think?"  
"Definitely. Anything. Well almost. Can't stand country'n'western."  
"Well, that's said to be an acquired taste. To be honest I'm not that found of it either."  
"Nice to hear that from the god of music."

We finished breakfast while talking about music. About artists and records. About concerts and radio stations. About remixes and crazy fans. And then as if on a silent agreement we walked down to the beach, still on the subject. Apollo had a lot to tell from his tours and recordings with Solinvictus and other acts before that; the nineties boy band Afterglow and in the eighties the synth act Carthago and Moondust in the sixties and then on further back in time. Cabarets and Vau de Villes. Moulin Rouge and Venice Masques. Opera and Comedia de'l arte. As we sat down in the soft and warm sand, Apollo told about meeting Elvis.  
"That man wasn't the genius everyone hold him for, but he sure had a voice of an angel. I once got the chance to become his manager. I regret I never took it. After all he died far too young; he would have had a heck of a career in front of him if he only had been more careful with his life. On the other hand he ended up like a hero, not a flickering light which faded like Sinatra."

"How about Michael Jackson?"  
"That's a whole different story. He was like one of those fireworks Hephaestos' children flashes off. Burns fast and bright and fades soon. I'm sorry to say but his career was over by the early 90ies. And that was not only due to bad advisors and rumours of child abuse."  
"But couldn't he had... Those fifty concerts in London?"  
"I had a ticket to the premiere but - well let's just say I didn't have that high expectations."  
"Why? What happened, what went wrong?"  
"A lot of things sadly. But some people - some geniuses, they burn out and there's very little we can do about that. Usually they die young too. Jackson wasn't the only case. Mozart is another one - in fact his faith was very much like Jackson's. He did so much, wanted so much and people didn't really understand him."

I rested my head in Apollo's lap and regarded his beautiful face, which seemed so restful and thoughtful. And there were his honey blond locks which shone in the sun as if they emitted light themselves. As I caressed his hand I thought it over again, this I was about to do. Getting engaged in one of the legendary gods. I could only hope I walked into this with open eyes. That I was not going to get hurt. Anyhow there was no way to know beforehand, I just had to let life roll with me and see what it was bringing me. After all it was hard to perform a reality check in a place like this which seemed so impossibly far from the reality I had known up until just a few months ago.

O0O0O

I spent some wonderful days on Olympia Lagunas, not only with Apollo, although that became quite a lot, but also with my other newfound friends, like Deimos and Astrape, Pomona, Juturna, Cloë, Oenomaus as well as old ones like Hekate, Kyknos, Androkles, Xantos and Penthesileia. I went to one party after the other and met a lot of interesting people and heard their tales about travelling around the world. I got invitations to Paris, Tokyo, Cairo, Stockholm and New Delhi. I went swimming and learned to waterski and diving among the coral reefs, seeing fishes of the kinds I had only seen on TV and in books before. Yes - they were real, those amazing ones from Saving Nemo!

I also did some house-spotting, and they sure were marvels those Olympian homes. Their relatively small size on the outside made it possible for the town to keep that neat and lovely look, like something cut out of a fairytale and dominated by more or less tamed greenery, small ponds, brooks and waterfalls, meandering paths among the roses and brush thickets, all embraced by those swirling mists which gave the landscape a magic fairytale look.

But it was when you entered one of those houses you learned of its magic. There was Calliope's which looked like nothing but a round gazebo with billowing silk curtains hanging between the white marble pillars. But depending on which curtain you pushed aside you ended up in either a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom or something else, all of these rooms feeling just like they took up the whole rotunda and that there was nothing more. The dining room and the ballroom had some other strange qualities, they seemed to grow with the amount of people you let in, and during her party I was strolling around the outskirts amazed at finding that it took me such a short time to walk a whole circle, still, if I walked into the floor where everyone was mingling, the room seemed endless and there was not only room for some 300 Olympians but also for a huge table with a generous buffet, a sound system where Apollo's son Hideo was DJ:ing and small groups of furniture where people could sit down and eat or just lounge.

Ishiro's house was a tiny Japanese tea-house on the outside, but when you came inside there was an endless row of rooms, all with tatami floors and paper doors opening up to new ones, and still with more or less the same things to be seen outside the windows.  
"So you just add what you need?" I asked the Japanese son of Ares.  
"Yes, I've even got a shooting range," he told and opened up yet another door which I could've sworn hadn't been there earlier. It led into a state of the art range with all commodities needed."  
"I imagine it's sound proof as well," I said after having 'ah'-ed and 'oh'-ed enough.  
"You bet it is," Ishiro grinned back. "Or I'd wake up Flora every single morning. She sure won't appreciate that!"  
"Then I want one too." I stated.  
"Then have it, Aidra!"

So on my third day here I started doodling with my own place. Honestly I had only slept there once, on the first night. The rest of the nights had I spent with Apollo. But I knew there would be more nights here later. I could not expect from the God of Music to be here all the time I was. After all we had different lives and duties. He had his Solinvictus and the other things he did, like managing the muses who were inspiring artists, composers, producers and others. And I was a goddess of war, who's duty was foremost to fight the Titans. So we would have to take our chances when they came about, I guessed.

Astrape and Juturna helped me getting started with the house, bringing me housing magazines and googling up interesting solutions on the net. Then, with their help I added a large and luxurious bathroom, a living room in two levels which opened up towards my little garden, a kitchen and a lounge outside that. Ishiro helped me with that shooting range and Xantos told me how to make a 'generic storage' where I could put in as much as I wanted, and there would still be more room.  
"But where do all the things go?"  
"Oh, that's the magic of the Aether, they go nowhere, they just superimpose on each other." Xantos explained. I looked blank-faced at the black man with the gilded mohawk, still having a hard time grasping the concept. Juturna laughed and shook her head so her light brown curls bobbed.  
"It's Aether physics. Quantum-something or the other. I don't get it either. Only Athena and those other brain people do. But what matters is that it works."  
"But how do I retrieve the things again?" I asked confused.

"You just wish," Astrape said.  
"Huh?" I wrinkled my brow, more or less convinced that my friend was making a joke on my expense. But she wasn't.  
"Just think about it and when you open the door, it's there, brought forward by your brain power."  
"It sounds just a bit too easy."  
"It's not, it takes energy form you. The further away the thingie is, the more energy does it take."  
"It takes... energy from me?" I bit my lip.  
"Yeah, where do you think all the stuff you eat go?" the weather goddess replied and twirled a blond tress around a well-manicured index finger. "Because it's not on your butt, darl'."  
"No, you're right," I giggled and thought about my ass which had stayed unbelievable firm since my ascension.  
"Gee – why is everyone so obsessed with their rear ends," Juturna asked. "After all we don't see them."  
"Others do," I replied and Xantos let up a booming laughter.

Yes those days at Olympia, they really felt like being at the proverbial Cloud Nine. I had never had such a good time in my life. Everything felt just perfect and at the same time challenging. Anyway, all good things come to an end and after a bit more than a week, it was time to return to Earth and to Manhattan.

O0O0O

It did feel a bit strange to be back in New York. Even if I had only been away for ten days it sure felt like a lifetime. New Year was over and it was 2011 and it was snowing lightly over Manhattan, cold winds from the Atlantic chilling the air, so different form the balmy days of Olympia. I wondered when I'd get to see Apollo again. He was off doing some video shooting with his Solinvictus, and they were going to spend at least the first two weeks in January in Morocco. Although he had promised to come to New York as soon as he could make it, and I sure felt that I was missing him even if it was less than four hours since we had kissed the last time.

And what does a girl do when she feels lonely and a bit down? Correct, she goes shopping. However this afternoon it became a quite different shopping experience from what I was used to. I bought a Donna Karan dress neither my body nor my credit card would've been able to handle in my former life. Then I found myself a pair of silver threaded jeans by an up-and-coming artist named Visandra Rajanbatra, a gray suede coat, a Luis Viton bag, a pearl necklace and several pair of shoes. After these Sex and the City moments I stopped by at the local liquor store to get myself some wine to celebrate with - and once again I picked something with a price tag not out of this world. But Dionysos had mentioned this wine in his blog, and I trusted him to know what he was talking about. And by this fancy address I lived now, even the 'local liqueur store' was different from over at my old place. It was larger, cleaner, more elegantly designed and with two young men by the cashiers. Men, who could've been models instead of that sun spotted old mixed-race man where I used to buy wine earlier. And to my surprise the lad taking my wine was asking for my ID. Whew - he could almost be my son! But that was also something I had to get used to, it wasn't obvious anymore that I was over 21.

I had just finished unpacking when the phone rang. It was Penthesileia.  
"There has been an act of terror in Egypt. If you turn on the TV there'll be the usual disinformation about Muslims, but it's the Tits again of course. And the Oracle is talking about an escalation in the hostilities coming the next few months. So we're gathering. A day earlier, I know, but it's necessary! Come over to Ares' place tomorrow at ten! We have to shortcut the Scimitar since this escalation has come so fast. Gyges and Melia will keep that organization going while we more on to State Two."  
"What does that mean? State Two?"  
"Ares will explain more. Tomorrow," the Amazon said.

Yes, the Holiday was definitely over.


	14. Cornfield Circles

_**Cornfield Circles**_

_**Nerio**__ was an ancient war goddess and the personification of valor in Roman religion and myth. She was the partner of Mars/ Ares in cult practices.  
__**Enyo**__ was a minor Greek war goddess  
__**Alala**__ was the goddess of war cries and the daughter of Ares' son Polemos  
__****__Astyokhe __was a nymph in Troy who was loved by Ares  
__**Saxa, Oreiro, Timar**__ and __**Olez**__ are my own inventions._

More than two months had passed since I'd been at Ares' place the last time, and at that time I had come as a lover. Now it was business instead. Ares lived way down on a lower Manhattan address in a posh area, and although I thought my new place large and fancy it held nothing against the home of the God of War. He had a three storey penthouse all by himself and with the most magnificent view over the waters. Down in the basement there was a large garage with room for all kinds of vehicles from segways to tanks. On the roof he kept his own helicopter. Last time I came there it had been late night and the lights had been low, the god had played soft music on the Bang Olufsen surround system, and we had made love in several places before falling asleep in his large bed. I felt like I was betraying Apollo slightly when I found myself longing back to that wonderful night.

But today it was - ah - so different. There were people everywhere, not only Ares' group was here, but also Hercules and Athena together with several of their warriors. The music was traded in for CBS, CNN and other news channels showing the act of terror against the Cairo central station over and over again and on several TV screens. The Titans had hit right in the rush hour, and the death toll was 300 persons and counting. There was blood and screaming people everywhere. A bedlam of rescue teams, ambulances, police and overexcited news reporters. It was Madrid and London all over again, although tenfold worse!  
"Hello Aidra" Penthesileia greeted me with a hug, as soon as I had got off my coat and scarf and given them to the nymph who managed the wardrobe. "We are to gather in the war room."

She had arrived together with her brother Romulus, who looked oddly like a civilian cop in his dark gray suit and tie. Perhaps because he usually was with the US Secret Service, protecting president Obama. Enyo, a former girlfriend of Ares, looked like the complete opposite with spiky, blond hair and a worn crimson leather jacket over likewise worn and holed jeans, through which black net leggings were shown and a Metallica T-skirt leaving her belly bare. She was also pierced in all possible places and then some. I couldn't decide if her look was vintage or just dated.

As the four of us entered the war room, people were taking seats around an eclipse shaped table, all preoccupied with the horrible event. Athena's son Oreiro was feeding information into a computer system and next to him was Penthesileia's son Timar with some USB memories which obviously held more of the kind. Some people were paying attention to the news broadcast but most were talking and the nymphs were handing out coffee and other beverages and small food. I saw Ares over in the corner discussing something with Athena, the latter was trying to calm him down it seemed. But Ares kept pointing at a lap top screen, clearly upset about something.

Phobos came up to me and Penthesileia, complaining about some logistic problem and letting all and everyone know that he hated Egypt.  
"So what else is not new," his sister returned with a huff. "You might not have to go there. Or you may if you keep pissing people off. Let's hear what's dad has got to say!"  
"I don't mind Egypt," Enyo said. "It's a bit hillbilly but it's better than Saudi at least. Now, that's backwater!"  
"Oh, it's the same shit, whatever," Proioxis made a face. "Why would anyone want to go to these places anyway?"  
"To kick Titan asses!" Cloë suggested.  
"Aye! Let's nuke them to Tartaros once and for all!" replied Xantos.  
"Don't be so daft!" Bia snarled. "If we could've done that, don't you think we'd done it centuries ago?"  
"We didn't have nukes centuries ago," Kydoimos pointed out.  
"Yes we had," Lysandros replied.  
"Well why don't we nuke them?" Cloë shot back. "Is the intelligence about their whereabouts really so hard to acquire? After all we have almost all the mortal intelligence bureaus running our errands. Ever since Napoleon we've been..."

"Yeah and what good have it done?" Bia replied. "We still haven't learned anything other than that the Neotitans tend to work in a cell system, not really having a physical headquarter like most people would assume."  
"Which I think is not true," Lysandros turned. "All psychological research shows evidence of these kinds not being that innovative but ought to have a superior who..."  
"But where do we find that superior?" Kyknos asked. "We have yet to understand where those bastards hide so we may even begin to root them out."  
"Perhaps we have been looking in the wrong places," Bia responded. "I've suggested again and again that we..."

Then people starting to hush around us and Androkles tapped Bia on her shoulder:  
"Bialia! The boss will want to begin the meeting now."

We sat down, I ended up between Penthesileia and Lysandros and I was glad I didn't have to ask all dumb beginner's questions. I bet Bia would have given me quite a chew-up then. Now she only tried to continue her lecture, until Medon told her to shut up.  
"But she's right!" Oenomaus defended Bia and crackled his big knuckles.  
"Pipe down!" Penthesileia snapped. And then there was silence in the large room as the God of War walked up to the short end of the table. Athena had sat down next to him and on his other side sat Hercules, Achilles and Bellona. Achilles was blond and as stately as the myths held him for and Bellona looked like a lethal version of Hera, with her dark hair cropped shot and what appeared to be down dressing turned out to be expensive label stuff. Next to Athena was Nike and then her brother Kratos. The latter was the only one in a dress uniform, with stripes and stripes with colourful dots representing medals. Although I guessed it was only part of what he actually had received since he had been in every war from the original Titan one to the Iraqi ditto. Then there were all kind of fighters from samurais like Ishiro to Native Americans like Alante. For the first time I was beginning to get a real gist of what a gathering of Olympian warriors looked like in the 21th century.

Now every head was turned in the direction of Ares who took up a remote and silenced the news, where ironically the President of the United States had just came on screen in front of the usual blue drapery.  
"Sorry, Barak," Ares said. "But we'll have to listen to you later. Now we are actually going to deal with the planet."

Then he went over what had happened in Egypt, a short brief. The terrorists hadn't been Titans themselves, but some of their human followers, who doubtless had been promised a happy afterlife if they had gone out there and done the Titans' dirty deeds. Amazing that there were always some poor idiots who believed enough in such humbug and thus became used by coldhearted charlatans. Ares went on by informing that there were some people who had been heading for the pyramids too, but that they had been stopped by Kratos, Cloë and Aventinius.

"Unfortunately our trio didn't manage to take them alive; when they found themselves surrounded they committed suicide so there was no immediate intelligence to gather. We've sent Hades and his crew after their souls to see if there's anything of value to retrieve, but taking earlier events in mind we don't have the highest of hopes. Meanwhile we are raising the level of alertness from three to five on our scale of seven. There will be gods out on every site of importance the nearest days, including the lot of you in here. You will be assigned your areas and we'll send you two and two or three and three as soon as this meeting is over. I'm sorry for those who had hoped and planned for more days off but the Titans don't give S-T about holidays. And as usual Polemos, Enyalios and Astyokhe will make sure you get armed according to your requirements. Questions?"

"The Pyramids?" Kydoimos asked. "Are they really of no importance in this case? After all we know that their strategically placing above the earth lines have been used earlier in history to create havoc."  
"We can't rule them out," Ares replied. "In spite of the pyramids having been cordoned off with wires of draconian-uranium alloy to stop their psychic transmissions we cannot be certain that the Titans going there didn't have a plan to use them as well."

"What about those cornfield circles?" another voice was let up. That was a goddess called Saxa who I had only met briefly at the solstice party.  
"Show them the shots!" called another voice. Olez, the young, black god of supersonic flight.  
"Is that really necessary?" asked Nemesis who sat next to Achilles, looking like a futuristic punker in her black, iron studded leather and silvery latex. "After all we know that the Titans are using these to communicate sometimes. Although we haven't been able to really interpret the yet."  
"I don't think they are of importance," said Enyo. "I think they are just smoke screens."  
"I disagree," Romulus replied. "We know that they always have increased in number just before a major terror attack, and just because we haven't been able to interpret them doesn't mean that they are of no matter."  
"How can we then be sure they matter?" Aristides asked and reached for yet another sandwich from a plate with a hastily shrinking content.

Then everybody started to talk and Ares had to raise his voice to make people quiet down again.  
"Dickheads!" Penthesileia muttered next to me, but she didn't elaborate on it. But her sister Hippolyte, who sat next to her, made an agreeing sound and rolled her eyes.

The God of War took up the remote again, but instead of letting Obama in he flipped a switch and the screens went off before a Microsoft Windows interface replaced the broadcast, a desktop showing Ares' coat of arms with the sword and the rooster and among the usual icons quite a few I didn't recognize.  
"Oreiro!" he turned to the son of Athena and the dark skinned god started tapping the keyboard. Soon an Adobe Photo Album opened up and then a picture of an elaborated cornfield circle appeared on the screen.  
"This one was taken over Western Hubei in China in August last year." Oreiro said.

"What does it say?" Olez asked, leaning forward, scratching his goatee.  
"We THINK it says Beijing and then a date and a time," Athena's son went on. "The problem with the Titans is that their concept of measuring time is quite different from ours. They use a kind of moon calendar with four quarters with seven days in each, clearly borrowed from the human system of measuring time. But the thing is that they regard every present 'month' as month zero and then counting forwards and backwards from that one. Years they don't bother with at all."  
"So you need to know which day they made a circle to be able to tell the appointment from that one?" Aventinius asked as he sat next to Bia, writing things down in a little red Apple notebook.  
"Yes - or at least which month. They break by new moon by the way."  
"Just like the Arabs," Saxa said.

"So what's bound to happen in Beijing?" Nemesis wanted to know, clearly not interested in discussing Titan calendars.  
"Something did happen in Beijing." Oreiro replied. "If I've interpreted the circle correctly it took place during December. The tenth or the twelfth."  
"And what happened?" Nemesis again.  
"Sword, that's the only one I've been able to make out," admitted Oreiro. "It says Beijing, Sword and four-months-ten-dayafter-dayafter-tomorrow."  
"No one really knows what it was," Nerio said and pulled back some purple and cyan coloured braids from her face. "So either it was of no importance or it failed."  
"And the rest?" Nemesis pushed on.

Now Oreiro became briefer in his explanations, he flashed up cornfield circle after cornfield circle going:  
"Champagne, France, also in August - saying Threeheaded-dog - which means death or kill and then Chicago and then nextmonth. That's the little circle up in the corner."  
"And who died in Chicago in September?" Kyknos asked  
"Some thousands, none of any seemingly importance. Perhaps it was not even a human. Could be anybody or anything. Liquidation of assets perhaps." Oreiro shrugged before moving on: "This one was found in South Africa about a year ago, saying Iceland and what I thought meant nuclear reactor at that time, but later found out being volcano. Same here, very similar glyphs."  
"It was that - what's its name spewing ashes, right?" Bellona asked.  
"Yes. Eiyafjallajokul," Oreiro nodded his head at Bellona. "The one Hercules and Androkles put a stop to."  
"Was a nice change from all gun-handling," Androkles let up his deep voice and Oiroro went on.

"Next - found in Denmark in September - saying thirteen-months - roughly a year from now - and bigtower and Paris. So we'll have to keep several eyes on the Eiffel tower. Next found in Peru last month, saying kettle - have no idea what that mean and then Jordan or perhaps Korea and four-months - as in April this year."  
"Jordan OR Korea? How can you not tell those countries apart?!" Zelos asked.  
"Their glyphs look similar. Korea is just a bit more skewed." the god of cryptograms pointed out.

"Oreiro!" Athena interrupted him, "Is there any cornfield circle hinting at Egypt or Cairo this month?"  
"That would be the obvious thing, right, mother. And noticeably there's no one. The one we were keeping an eye on was one hinting at the middle of next month saying Atlantic City or perhaps Atlanta and ironhawk, which means airplane or helicopter. Or could be just any mortal flying vehicle."  
"Maybe we've done some miscalculation then." Athena sighed.  
"If we have - then the whole system is askew," Oreiro sighed and pushed a slender hand through jet-black curls. "And Narenna and I'll have to start over. Nothing will add up, not even those we started with back in the 50ies and which pointed out the murders of the president Kennedy and reverend King."

"We're not getting any farther with these things right now," Ares said. "You tech heads may have to discuss those circles and calculations a bit more. As well as the other Titan communication ways, like those graffiti signs Dobrezea's twins had been recording from various cities and the ads placed in various newspapers."  
"Glad they don't understand computers and can use the internet." Timar said.  
"It's over their thick heads," Alala, the fierce redhead daughter of Polemos, smirked.  
"Don't be so sure of that," Hekate said dryly.

By that comment I felt a collective intake of breath as if people were planning to start a discussion of that matter, but Ares made a 'cut' sign with one hand horizontally over the other and presented a grim face. He was obviously craving more discipline here and now. Then he went over some more details about the Titan attack, how it had been performed and what we could expect in the future, should they try something similar anew. After that he began to hand out assignments.  
"...Three Mile Island nuclear plant outside Harrisburg: Aidra, Penthesileia and Saxa. Remember there was an attempt against that site 32 years ago. Penthesileia, since you was there the last time you'll update the girls! Hoover Dam: Kyknos, Alala and Bia, Nuclear Power Plant of..."

Gee! So I was going to Three Mile Island! Then I guess there was no chance to meet Apollo within reasonable time. I had hoped to remain in New York at least for a week more. But luckily I was not going to the Angelus Communication Centre of Area 51 like poor Hekate and Ishiro. And Deimos became sent to an oil field in the Atlantic together with Bellona. Phobos got lucky though, he got to stay in Manhattan together with Xantos to keep an eye on the UN and the construction site where the One World Trade Center were being raised. Ares himself though showed that he meant very much business by locating himself in Washington DC together with his daughters Proioxis and Palioxis to keep an eye on the Congress and the White House. Not so far away from home perhaps but a dire site, he wouldn't be able to turn his back on it for a mere heartbeat. Romulus was of course going there as well, since he had a mortal identity and an assignment connected to it. There were other gods who were likewise just returning to home bases in places like The Pentagon, Norad and various worldwide defense centres.

0O0O0

"How soon do you want us on location?" Penthesileia asked Ares later, when we were down in the armory getting equipped by Enyalios and Astyokhe.  
"Tonight," the war god said shortly, hardly looking up as he was examining a rocket grenade which seemed to be some kind development demo.  
"But Ares," I began, "I have some things I need to do before I leave. Tonight I'm having dinner with my parents and..."  
"And nothing," the War God snapped. "While you mayhap dine and drink there might be another meltdown in that remaining reactor. Is that where your priorities lie?"  
"Ares, no but..."  
"It is an order, soldier!" The god of war raised his voice just a tad; still he was deadly serious I could tell. His daughter stood silent and looked over her gun, apparently uncomfortable with the situation.  
"Okay I'll go to Harrisburg tonight. But you sure are making two elderly people disappointed. Then again I guess that's something you cannot understand since you are immortal and don't comprehend the concept of limited time."  
"Trust me Aidra I do that very well."  
"Then how come you're so insensitive that you can't give me just twenty four hours to..."

"Don't start with me, Aidra!" Ares snarled. "Make sure you get your ass over to Harrisburg instead! And with the equipment in due order!"  
"What? Haven't I...?" I began but Ares just turned his back and left, going up the stairs from the armory room, grabbing an automatic rifle as he went.

"What's with him?" I asked as the war god had left.  
"Moody," his daughter replied and put down her gun in its holster.  
"It seemed almost like he was pissed at Aidra for some reason," Saxa said and tossed back her flowing waves of jet-black hair. "So what's the deal, we're going there tonight, where do we stay and what..."  
"It's all in the 'puter." Penthesileia said. "Go home and pack for a fortnight for starters. And be prepared for a lot of idle time as well, since I bet it's going to take a while before anything happens. If ever at our site."  
"Then I'll guess I'll be hanging on Facebook a lot," Saxa replied.  
"How long do we have to stay by that power plant?" I asked while checking my own weaponry.  
"I guess a fortnight. They might extend it or call us back earlier. That depends on the development. If Hades' people find anything. Or if there are any remaining traces of energies giving us hints of what might be in the can."

"A whole lot of worms I take it." Saxa said and stashed ammunition in a green canvas bag. "I bet there's going to be more shit of this kind soon. There has been a feeling of calm before the storm ever since that volcano was turned off. Ever since the failed attempt against the European Parliament to be true."  
"Was there an attempt of terror against that? When?" I raised a surprised brow.  
"Back in '08. Laodice found out about it and then Ares, Ishiro, Saxa and I could stop it." Penthesileia told.  
"Terrible!" I exclaimed. "I've never heard about it."  
"Reasonable," Ares' daughter replied. "Very few people did. After all it never made the news. It's been classified information since. Very few mortals know about it. Some Euro-honchos and then Obama and a handful of people within the CIA. I don't think more people need to know about it, the panic is enough as it is now."

Penthesileia had taken command and given Saxa and me two hours to pack and after that we were to meet at her place and she'd drive to Harrisburg and the power plant. I couldn't help feeling moody. I didn't want to leave New York, not so soon after coming home again. What was I going to say to my parents? They would probably let me know I was neglecting them. So what was I going to tell in reply? That I went to safeguard a bloody nuclear plant because the God of War thought it necessary. Then again they had probably too seen all about Egypt on TV and knew that everyone had to do her or his duty in the war against terrorism. Therefor I held a slight hope that they would understand.

0O0O0

"What about those cornfield circles really?" I asked Penthesileia as we left Manhattan behind us, driving west. The sun was already setting, the darkness coming early this time of year. I was sitting in the passenger's seat next to Penthesileia; Saxa had taken the back seat, letting us know she wanted to take a nap. Then she had lied down, pulled a blanket over herself and dozed off. I was fighting the weird feeling of not holding a wheel since Penthesileia's British Lotus was right-hand driven. The first quarter of an hour I had fiddled in the air after controls which weren't there and the Amazon had laughed heartily at me. Finally I sat upon my hands and forced myself to accept that I was actually in the passenger's seat even if it didn't feel like it.

"They're Titan communication glyphs." Penthesileia replied as she blew past yet another large truck. "The Tits started to use them in the 40ies, but the use didn't really become common before the 80ies when the mortals started to take over all of the radio frequencies."  
"But why corn fields?"  
"It's easy to make the signs in corn fields. Easier than in grass or on stone. Well, they have been using snow and sand as well but not so frequently."  
"Leia, it sounds so - new age!" I giggled and the Amazon smiled as well.  
"That's what the mortals make out of it. Everything they cannot explain they put the big fat New Age stamp on and pretend it's not there. Or that there's some 'natural explanation' to the phenomena. Which might be all the way ridiculous, but they cannot care less. As long as it's not supernatural so they can sleep well in the night."  
"I wouldn't sleep well with human terrorists next doors." I replied. "I'd take a supernatural but benign being any day."

"NOW you say so, yes." Penthesileia reminded me and tapped her fingers impatiently at the wheel when a red light didn't want to switch. I glanced over at the Amazon, her dark hair shone slightly in the highway light; it was beginning to darken, early as always this time of year. I had to admit she was right. Before I turned immortal I would also have denied every existence of many of those things I took for granted these days. Including the origin of cornfield circles - and people who never aged. People who were gods.

0O0O0

"That's my story." I told Saxa. "Now I want to hear yours."  
"All right," the dark-haired goddess said and pulled her legs up under her where she sat in the plush sofa. "Zeus and Hera's daughter Bellona had a son called Merlin. He went down in history through the tales of King Arthur of England even if he was hardly the man of importance in the Court of the Round Table. Not as important as the tales make him at least. He was in fact an ambassador from Avalon, the little island which used to be located south-west of Ireland. He and his daughter Morgaine, my mother, died defending Avalon from one of the first attacks of the Neotitans. At that time the gods didn't know what was coming for them and they were unprepared and unable to defend themselves. Thus my mother and grandfather perished protecting the island which was sunken very much the same way as Atlantis got lost two thousand years earlier, while the first Titan war was raging.

I became one of the few survivors, hardly more than an infant who came ashore in a little boat in what's today's Wales together with two priestesses who had saved me when the island died. I hardly remember my mother or my grandfather but my great grandma took care of me and raised me in Greece. I only returned to Britannia when I was in my hundred and sixties, trying to find some tracks of what had been my native island. But already back then Avalon had been relegated to the myths very much as Atlantis already were. At that time the population was turning Christian very fast so most people refused to talk about Avalon and the old priesthood and gods. They feared the new Christian power. I was sad and hurt by what I learned but my gg-ma told me to not push the matter. So I returned to Greece and begun working for the Olympians instead."

"Gg-ma?" I echoed enquiringly.  
"Great grandma. You'll learn that soon enough. After all the lines can become quite long with us."  
"I guess I will," I sighed. Once more I turned my attention back to the nuclear plant which laid there silent in the pale January sun as if no danger at all was present. Penthesileia had been right. This would be getting boring. We had been here for only two days and already was I sick of looking at these reactors and scanning the surroundings.  
"Darn Titans!" I told Saxa. "Is that the new Titan strategy - bore us to death?"

0O0O0

We got to spend two weeks glaring at that nuclear plant. Two seemingly endless weeks, where the most interesting thing happening at the plant was two Three Mile Island employee's cars bumping into each other. The only fun was in fact the company. Penthesileia and Saxa were two cool ladies with a lot of stories to tell and charming humour, but then there have to be more to life than just 3 ladies chatting endlessly. Even if Ares' daughter had been in every war there was, there are only so many war stories you care to listen to before you get bored. So we watched a lot of movies at the pay TV channels as well. Saxa hung on Facebook chatting with some blokes she entertained who wanted to meet her and I tried to explain to my upset mother why I had to leave New York so soon. Penthesileia and I also spent some time practicing Kung Fu. No matter that I had won prices in the NYPD competitions, I had nothing against the Amazon. She really toyed with me.

Then, on the third Monday after our arrival, Penthesileia received a phone call from her brother Deimos ordering us to get over to the C56 oil field out in the Atlantic where he and Bellona were stationed. Apparently Titans were coming there. And Bia, Kyknos and Androkles were also on their way.  
"Roger that, we're on our way!" Leia replied.  
"Finally some action!" Saxa answered, spun around and headed for her room, no doubt with packing in her mind.


	15. Aliens don't come from outer space

**Aliens don't come from outer space**

_A/N: Poseidon's son Theronion is my own invention_

Not unexpectedly had I never been on an ocean set oil field before, only seen them on TV. But seen from above, the almost fragile-appearing seabed drilling rigs in the middle of the heaving and foaming Atlantic, looked quite a bit more interesting than a nuclear plant. Deimos used telepathy to direct the three of us to platform 5, the southernmost one in the elongated diamond which was the drilling field. Upon arrival we weren't only met by Deimos and Bellona, but also by Theronion, a son of Poseidon who was the god of ocean based mining. The gangly, suave god and I had shared a dance at the solstice party and back then he had seemed like a happy-go-lucky playboy in Hawaii skirt and white pants. But here Clark Kent had become Superman and Theronion looked quite a bit more serious and was dressed in worn, ox-blood coloured leather pants and a dark gray PVC raincoat of the trench model and his dark brown hair was covered by a sou'wester in the same material.

"So what have we got?" he asked Deimos.  
"Oracle prophecy, 80 percent chance the Titans come here and if we're not alert enough they'll destroy at least one rig."  
"How many of them?" Penthesileia asked.  
"Between 150 and 200." Deimos went on and I couldn't avoid making some kind of sound, if it was fear or awe, I wasn't sure, but Saxa turned slightly at me:  
"We're gonna kick their fat asses," she said matter of fact.  
"When are they due?" Theronion asked.  
"Within three hours," confirmed Bellona and checked a wristwatch. She reminded me of Trinity in the Matrix with her short hair, dark sunglasses and long PCV coat in navy camouflage patterns. "I really hope Bia, Androkles and Kyknos will be here before them."

"Androkles said they left Cape Canaveral five minutes ago." Bellona told.  
"Any indication that they are late, Bella?" Penthesileia wanted to know.  
"They had to stop by in New York. Pick up arms."  
"That shouldn't take too much time," replied Deimos.

"Well, speak of the Titans, here they are!" exclaimed Saxa the next second.  
"Chaos, already!" cursed Deimos. "Where, and how many?"  
"Oh well, not the Titans! Our pals! Three 'o clock. And they've got Phobos, Proioxis and Palioxis with them as well!"  
"Shit, Saxa! You startled us there quite a bit," the son of Ares scoffed.  
"Well it's an old expression, older than you, uncle brawny," Saxa replied.  
"Profanity fail," Theronion huffed and I chuckled lightly at that.  
"Stuff it," Bellona said, "We ain't got time for bullshit now. We need to start organizing the defense. Get the mortals in safety. How many of them know what's going on really?"

"The supervisors plus a few in the key personnel. But we do have some die-hard Christians and other poofs here and to them we'll simply pull the original cover story about a storm warning and order them all inside and to seize the drilling."  
"Geee - why can't we simply tell people the truth?" I asked. "Let them know what's going on with this planet, tell them it isn't about Muslim terrorists at all! Why Muslims by the way?"  
"It would cause panic, real panic, and we cannot deal with that right now. It would be even more dangerous than to keep up the cover," Penthesileia replied. "And about the Muslim thing - well someone came up with it back in the late 90ies, thinking it rather plausible. Which I don't think was such a good idea at all, putting all the blame on one kind of philosophy, whatever you might think about it."  
"Well, there weren't any commies around anymore," Theronion shrugged. "Save for old Fidel and that himbo in Northern Korea of course."

The next moment the six new arrivals landed on the oil-drilling platform, all of them dressed to kill and fortitude shining from their eyes. Arriving from one of the other drills were Ishiro and his wife Keiko, dressed like Ninjas in black leather.

After we had greeted them Deimos took command since he knew the setting and he started to give out orders. I and Bellona were told to go and make sure the mortals were put into safety, and since Zeus and Hera's daughter knew the drill with hurricane warnings she started to pull strings directly. As a matter of fact, Theronion had already placed the disinformation of the hurricane Brigitte coming this way in the weather computers of the drilling set. So all we had to do was sounding the warning signals and make sure each and every mortal worker was down inside. The ones who knew the truth was asking Bellona things and she replied in short statements, trying to calm them with 'I'll be all right's.

"So that's what it's really about, this increasing numbers of hurricanes?" I asked Bella. "Titan attacks."  
"Affirmative. We've been faking four out of five hurricanes since the early nineties." the war goddess replied. "Although it's getting harder and harder.'Katrina' in New Orleans took weeks to cover up. Before as well as after. So many mortals had seen the Titans and we had to make sure they either forgot or thought they had imagined what they had seen."  
"And panic is the only reason to keeping things secret?" I asked. "Will we ever consider telling the truth?"

"Perhaps. Depend on what the others think. But I'm all for it. The way it is now, the mortals know almost lesser than in the ancient times. Back then our presence was well known, there were even some of us who showed usselves and walked among the mortals without hiding their identity. Everyone was more open back then, more honest. It wasn't until the second acceleration of Titan hostilities that this secrecy was created. At that time it was thought to be temporary, but that 'temporary' has lasted for almost 1500 years now. And not surprisingly it's getting harder to maintain every year. Almost all we can rely upon these days is the mortal's spinal denial of everything 'supernatural' and their desire to stay within their own comfort zones, even if those are populated by terrorists and pig flu viruses."

Then there was no more time for talking. Deimos had spotted the first wave of Titans and we armed ourselves and took in the air to meet what was coming for us. I could hardly believe that I was about to partake in something like this and I had to admit that I was scared. This was nothing like those fights we had done in the Americas last year, this was a completely different thing and on a way larger scale. If these had been skirmishes this was an outright battle. Yes, now I saw them too - waves and waves of Neotitans, they seemed a lot more than the 200 the Oracle had mentioned. As well as much more lethal. They might look like beautiful super humans, stepped right out of a fairytale, however they radiated dread and horror and I had to push back my fear, relegate it to the back end of my soul and try to remain calm and steadfast.

The next moment Deimos called out:  
"Olympians - attack!" Now there was no more time to consider the numbers of either of us or the Titans. Instead we took into the air with our weapon ready. Deimos gave some more orders, sending me, Phobos, Theronion, Penthesileia, Palioxis, Androkles and Saxa to the left while he, Kyknos, Proioxis, Bellona, Ishiro, Keiko and Bia took to the right. He then he told us to fire at will. In that instant he reminded me very much of his father. Same fierce brutality and fast decisions. And I intended to make him proud in the same way I had done with Ares.

It took perhaps two minutes, and then we intercepted the first wave of attacking foes. Then my anxiety soon gave way for pure hyperadrenaline induced fighting spirit, and I dived down on my first enemy and filled him with bullets without really thinking. A lot of the others carried swords of various kinds, from Phobos and Deimos' huge and ancient longswords to Ishiro and Keiko's slim and sharp katanas. Penthesileia had told me once why she preferred the sword - no risk of running out of ammo. But I had left mine back home, not feeling really comfortable with using it yet. Still I knew I had to learn to handle one soon. After all I saw the point as soon as I had to go back the first time to load my machine guns, and was almost tackled behind by one beast of a Titan. In the last second I used my gun as a war club instead and smashed it into the scull of the beast, fragments of bone, blood and brain tissue flying all over. At that moment I felt like I was going to puke right there and then, but I managed to force the nausea away and return to duty.

I grabbed more ammo and then I realized I had dragged Titans after me as if they were attached to me by Velcro - the typical beginners mistake, I had been so occupied with reloading my guns that I had forgotten to stop the monsters. But Kyknos was there to save me out of my predicament by firing a rocket grenade right in the middle of the Titan mini hoard.  
"Thanks, Kick Nose!" I smiled at the auburn-haired god and he grinned back:  
"I have to protect her who gave me the coolest agnomen ever!" Then the god somersaulted backwards and shot off another rocked grenade, this time in another incoming mini-horde I had failed to even notice. I realized I had a lot to learn, but then I shrugged it off and followed Kyknos right into the battle again with my newly loaded machine guns.

(Note to self:  
1. Learn sword play.  
2. Come up with cool nicks to the rest of my colleagues.)

Now I launched myself right into the battle chaos and saved the back of first Penthesileia and then Saxa and my self-confidence turned quite a bit. It wasn't like those girls could have managed it on their own really, but I bought them some valuable room to move. And at the same time I kept aware of my behind as well. 'Eyes in the neck' that was something you learned as a police, even if those 'eyes' were seldom used for all out's like this. I also learned that all this air acrobatics I have been taught weren't just for show. It became in fact very useful against the Titans when they came at us in all direction. We were actually doing dog-fights in the air sans planes. And we used the enemy's number against them, maneuvering out of the way and having them colliding with each other instead; spearing the next Titan on those horrible jagged javelins instead of the god they had wanted.

In fact they did have a hard time spearing us, because very few had access to Adamantine, and instead they fought with plain steel. Steel which you just needed regular psychic shielding to defend yourself with. Things working on instinct. The only thing happening when they tried to pierce you was that you felt something sharp striking against your nerves of tactile awareness. Then the sparkles were sent off in all directions when the steel connected with the ultradimensional shield defense. Nevertheless I did my best to avoid the Titans' huge swords and battle axes, since every time I had to defend myself on an ultradimensional level I grew slightly more tired, slightly weaker, and I knew I had better start ducking more actively or I would not cope and last the whole battle until the end. So I started to be more evasive, ducking and diving and firing only when I was right on target and able to know what I was doing. The second time I ran out of ammo I started to use my guns as clubs instead. Not as effective and quite tiring but better than nothing.

A few Titans had got Adamantine though and those I had to really duck - or defending myself using an aegis - this multidimensional shielding that coated your body in a systems of warps which made outside things not getting trough at all. The problem with the aegis technique was that it took a lot of stamina and concentration to use, and that it closed off the oxygen as well so you had to recycle what oxygen was in your blood vessels - which also demanded attention, especially for someone like yours truly who was a newbie at these things. I knew that gods like Zeus and Athena could walk though complete battlefields, walk for hours covered in shimmering aegises without as much as working up a sweat, but we more 'normal' deities had to struggle incredible hard to keep an aegis around us for more than a few seconds at a time. So we had to choose other ways of defending ourselves against the Adamantine-armed enemies. Like ducking and avoiding.

Phobos was magnificent in the air, very fast and agile and he did stunts I hadn't thought were possible. Diving and spinning, somersaulting and looping. But being a god he didn't have to worry about G-forces. The immortal body coped. Consequently I dared to be a bit braver as well. Once I almost dived down in the ocean and turned and straightened up in the very last second and rocketed upwards instead. Since the Titan who had been following me wasn't fast enough either in her reactions to grasp what I did, I managed to kick her hard in the belly, sending her beneath the waves.

The next moment I felt a shadow falling on me and as I swirled around with my gun ready, but the 'shadow' was friendly one. It was Theronion who turned to me, grinned and went:  
"Duh duh, duh duh, duh duh, duh duh, duh-duh, duh-duh, dudu, dudu, duuuuu!"  
"Say what?"

In reply the god pointed downwards, and I saw that all the blood and the fallen enemies had attracted a lot of sharks. There were fins and fins breaking the waves everywhere, heading for the generous buffet which awaited them. I hadn't thought about that earlier, but it was a failsafe way to get rid of all the corpses after a battle like this. Feed them to the wild animals! Sharks for instance never ask questions, they just gorge, thankful for the goodies that fall from the sky. I saw a few orcas as well, and where they appeared the sharks had to move away, the big mammals were both stronger and smarter than the teethie fishes. However with some five hundred Titans to finish off, I bet it would be more than enough to make most of the aquatic carnivores in the surrounding happy.

Then quite a few of the enemies had spotted me and Theronion down here and came diving down against us, so I had to abandon my thoughts about sea biology for a while and take care of the enemies.  
"You should really learn to use a blade!" the son of Poseidon urged me when he saw me struggling with the last machine gun. (I had dropped the other one.)  
"I know. I've come to understand that today. Earlier I just thought I could keep on shooting. Never was a problem with ammo when you were up against a few mortal crooks. Then you usually just had to display your arms and they backed off."  
"Except for that guy you took down in New York, right? That senator's son?"  
"Yeah. On the other hand if it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't have been here at all, but still being an ignorant mortal chasing down drug dealers."

"And now you're chasing down aliens instead," Theronion grinned.  
"Aliens?"  
"Yes, me and my siblings call those beasts Aliens, simply because we don't understand them. We don't understand how they think, where they hide, who they are and what they really want with this world. Plus that back in the fifties and sixties, there were some sightings of Neotitans and Titan vessels by mortals. Vessels, which origin was believed to be extraterrestrial."  
"Really," I looked intensely at the son of Poseidon.  
"Yup. And then the mortals explained it all away with weather balloons and other baloney as usual. So you can fairly say that aliens don't come from outer space. Not these aliens at least."

"I never knew," I breathed.  
"Here," he then changed subject, handing me one of his blades. "Try not to lose it, I kinda like it."  
"Sure thing," I replied, hoping I'll be able to keep that promise.

Then we kept our mouths shut and concentrated upon the enemy instead. For about an hour more we fought to keep the Titans away from the drilling platforms, slowly becoming pressed backwards by their heavy assault and upper hand in numbers. Then our extensive killings began to show a difference, their ranks started to grow thinner and we could even fly around them and attack from behind. Not to mention from beneath, which I had soon learned gave quite an advantage because the Titans seldom bothered with looking down. Actually they fought as if being on the ground instead of being in the air and soon Deimos had told us to use that weakness of theirs. Thus I could once more return to base and arm myself with more bullets. Then as the minutes ticked by more and more fell enemies fell. And then...

"Shit!" It was Penthesileia's voice and somewhere above me I heard Bia:  
"What?"

Then I heard it too. The characteristic staccato sound of an arriving helicopter.  
"Mortals!" Penthesileia raged. "Dimwitted reporters!"  
"How did - are they F:ing filming this?" Bia snarled. "What are we gonna do?"  
"Keep killing Titans, we'll deal with them later." Deimos replied. "If worse comes to worse we'll have to erase their files. Then they'll have no proof of what they've seen and they won't report anything."  
"But do you really think they'll shut up in spite?" I asked and shot another Titan right between the eyes.  
"Yes of course! If they are just the slightest bit concerned with their reputation." Penthesileia said. "Which I think they are, because if I haven't lost my reading abilities totally it says CNN on that chopper, not National Enquirer."

I grinned a bit at that comment as I beheaded the next Neotitan, using Theronion's blade, patting myself on the back as I did. I could to this! Then Deimos ordered:  
"Keiko! You're the best one of us at illusions; create a believable hurricane for the mortals. They may perhaps have seen 20 seconds of reality, but they'll soon explain that away with low oxygen level or over-tiredness or something mortals use when the truth becomes a bit hard to deal with. Then make sure that there's not a single God or Tit on their film material!"  
"Aye aye, general!" the Japanese goddess called out and disengaged herself from the battle with a graceful dip-and-dive. That was actually doable now when the Titans had decreased so much in numbers. Soon the remaining ones started to flee, and in accordance with Zeus' old orders to decimate their numbers as much as possible Penthesileia, Bellona, Ishiro, Phobos, Palioxis, Theronion and I took after them while the rest made sure to finish off those still hanging around.

I was a bit worried that the fleeing enemies were actually leading us into a trap with even more Titans waiting up in the clouds as we were ascending, following them, but either that 'trap' was too far away to be effective or it existed solely in my overheated cop's imagination. In any case my mind was still painting scenarios reminiscent of old set ups involving drug dealers. Things I had experienced earlier. But when push came to show most of these Titans seemed to be a lot of brawns and very little brains, so it wouldn't surprise me the least if they hadn't even though along the lines of traps and set-ups. Not this time at least.

In spite this fight became quite a bit trickier, simply because the visibility was not as good as down by the rigs. Whirling clouds everywhere. Yet soon I remembered that I had other assets than visible sights. I could 'change' my eye vision to extend the spectra to infra as well, so I became able to find the Titans using their body heat. That combined with the slightly different energy patterns which set them off from my fellow Olympians, enabled me to catch up with them one by one and take them down. Some ten minutes later there were only Olympians around. Tired, hungry and dirty ones. In fact we were all so covered in blood and other bodily fluids that we looked more like something out of a splatter movie than a Greek drama. Thus it was only reasonable that Bellona used her weather abilities to make some of these clouds rain down upon us. That'd made us at least roughly showered off; even if I had no doubt that I would spend an eternity in a real one later. A real hot shower with a lot of soap and shampoo, the very idea of it felt like cloud nine at the moment.

When we returned to platform 5 the rest of our force was waiting there. Saxa was pouting because she had broken one of her swords and Ishiro was regenerating a cut-off index finger, otherwise everyone was fine. The others had bathed down in the sea instead of taking cloud showers, and they were now more wet than gory. Crossing the floor to Poseidon's son I handed over my borrowed sword.  
"Thanks, Theronion," I smiled tiredly.  
"Anytime," the god returned the smile as he sheeted the weapon.

"Okay!" Deimos called out. "Great work all of you! Thanks on the behalf of - well, the planet! Bella, sound the 'danger is past' alarm! There are showers, saunas and other commodities down on level four which we can use. No one will question our presence there since these are guest quarters. In an hour there'll be food at level three, if you can't find your way using your olfactory senses, simply ask for the Starfish Hall. See you all there then!"

O0O0O

I had my shower; I washed my hair twice and scrubbed my body until my skin was pink like on a newborn piglet and cleaned every tiny millimeter of my body. Meanwhile I went over what I just had been through, it all seemed so uncanny, I felt I needed some kind of reality check. But such was hard to acquire when reality had become all upside down in just half a year, and hardly anything I had known for sure earlier applied anymore.

Entering the girl's sauna I found Bia and Keiko already there and relaxing and I climbed up and sat down on the top level, the soft wood warm against my back. I held some kind of dread that Bia would lash down upon me like she used to do earlier, perhaps something about me not using a sword. But she said nothing, just laid there with her eyes closed and white headphones plugging her ears, a waterproof iPod giving her musical solace. Keiko on the other hand was more talkative and wanted to know what I thought about my first real battle. I told her veraciously that I needed to become more confident in using the sword, and the lovely lady offered to teach me some of her skills. Then I asked her about the TV team as Bellona entered the sauna, saying something in Finnish and pouring water over the heater so the place became all foggy and even warmer than before.

"Oh they - they were dealt with rather easily." Keiko said unbothered by Bellona. "After all reporters are - well not exactly fools but they are very careful with what they say these days. If something is either supernatural or politically incorrect they don't 'believe' it. Or at least they don't believe it's news. And Olympians and Titans are both."  
"Both what?" Bia said as she took out her headphones and sat up, sweat twirling across her tanned torso as she tore a hand through her cropped blond hair.  
"We are both supernatural and politically incorrect." Keiko turned to Bia as Proioxis and Palioxis came through the door and sat down as well.  
"Oh, speak for yourself!" The daughter of Nyx returned with a huff. For the first time I noticed that the lady had almost no boobs. That made her look even more tomboyish than with clothes on, although she didn't seem to care the slightest bit.

The opposite went for Penthesileia who arrived in the twin's wake, stretching and moaning like a cat. She proved that the legends of the amazons had been wrong too, because she sure had a pair to be proud of. As she slumped down beside Bia, Keiko went on:  
"Yes we are - we are immortal gods, quite the sum of all 'superior race dreams' and we have all kind of abilities and knowledge that the mortals would consider impossible and thus label 'supernatural'. So if CNN want to do something about us, they'll have to go looking for... well..."  
"Mark Harris, police officer," I suggested and dried some sweat off my forehead.  
"Yeah something like that," Keiko smiled. "Nevertheless I brainwashed them into forgetting that they saw something else than fast whirling clouds, lots of winds that threatened their vehicle and then waves spraying over the drilling platforms as well. And it'll be on the tapes too. Deimos would be pleased with just some memory erasing, but I believe in more. I believe in giving something in return, some drama they can actually broadcast, even if they had to admit there were no causalities at the C56. No poor mortal falling into the sea or something. But I gave them some nice photo, and that'll keep them happy for a while."  
"Good work, Kee," Penthesileia praised as Saxa became the last one to enter the ladies' sauna. (She became the first to leave too, she didn't like this heat, she said.)

"And where's this 'hurricane' going now?" Proioxis asked. Greenland?  
"Yeah," Keiko said, "But it'll have worn out most of its fuel, and is not going to inflict more than necessary damage."  
"Why does it have to inflict any damage at all?" I asked and Keiko replied:  
"Just to make it believable, a hurricane of that kind does not just die down like zip."  
"I think you're just overly careful, Kei," Palioxis said as she begun to massage her twin sister's neck and shoulder blades. "The mortals won't care looking into a strangely behaving hurricane, especially not if it's on the benign side. And even if they do – what would they find? Nothing of significance. Nothing pointing in our direction. And even if they did, there's the good old supernatural card again. It'll end up in an X-file. Buried and forgotten."  
"I guess better safe than sorry," Penthesileia said, turned to her younger sister. "After all we cannot afford blowing any cover right now. The situation with the Titans is too dire."

Half an hours later we were all gathering in the Starfish Hall, looking forward to a table jam packed with seafood (of course), vegetables, bulgur, sweet potatoes, tzaziki and bread. And to go with that both white wine and beer. Then, as we were about to sit down and enjoy the meal, Ares and Alexander showed up and surprised us all.  
"Dad, you're late!" Penthesileia mocked as soon as the first greetings were done.  
"Sure I am," the God of War said. "I'm a bit annoyed with myself for missing all the fun. But you seem to have done really great in spite. And on such a short notice as well. Then again I expect next battle to be harder, with more and better armed Titans coming our way. So we need to start preparing right now - oh well, not exactly this moment, I admit. After all you do deserve this celebratory meal, so dig in and chat and drink. And we'll talk business tomorrow. In New York."

"You're staying, brothers?" Bellona asked.  
"Sure," Alexander replied. "Can't miss Atlantic Lobster for all the money in the world." So the God of War and the royal hero who once had conquered Middle East sat down and enjoyed dinner with us. It sure became a nice evening and we managed to talk about everything but Titans and war, even if Keiko slightly touched the subject by mentioning the TV team and the cover story they had been fed. We turned on the TV later on and saw the story, yes it was all about a hurricane threatening the oil field, not a word of Titans or Olympians riding high in the sky.

O0O0O

There was a bouquet of flowers waiting on my door knob when I finally returned to my Manhattan home that night. Apollo! was my first thought - how nice! But it was actually Ares who had sent them with a short note reading _Congratulations Aidra, for a good work on your first real battle_! Charming and surprising. And it made me feel better, more prepared for the imminent battle I knew I had to fight. Calling my parents, telling them - what? That I was home again and could squeeze them in some night over the next few days or so. But then I would be off again, don't know where or for how long... It made me feel mighty guilty. Taking the flowers inside and putting them in water I wondered what the heck to do against that guilt. I was supposed to be a part of this 'save the world' mission and I was supposed to be a family daughter as well. Hadn't it been easier back when I was a cop? Then I knew when I was off at least. Every second Sunday.

No, it hadn't been, I reminded myself. I told myself to shake it and stop being such a crybaby. The flowers were great, I must remember to tell that to Ares tomorrow. To thank him! However the number one priority was my parents. I was going to have to call them after I had finished unpacking and taken a shower... No! I decided to better have it done. So I put Ares' flowers on the large table in the hall and I went over to the mirror shelf and picked up my phone.

But there had been no need to be worried. When my mother replied she was so glad to hear my voice and that I was back home in once piece that everything else seemed to matter less.  
"We understood that it was something dangerous you were up to, Aidra, dearest!" she exclaimed. "And we saw about that horrible hurricane on the TV - that Brigitte which hit the oil field the other day. And I turned to Abe that night and told him what I thought - what I felt in my heart. That there was something not right with this Brigitte. It wasn't real! It was faked somehow. Those TV pictures were almost - too perfect. As if they were made in a computer or something. And that it had something to do with what Aidra was up to. And Abe - he was his usual pragmatic self of course, asking me how you could fake a hurricane. So I told him that there were a lot of things we didn't know in this world. I took you as an example, dear, what did we know about gods and miracles before you met those Greeks and joined their ranks."  
"To be honest, mother," I admitted. "You were right. About 'Brigitte'. There was no hurricane. It was all a bogus. It was actually Titans. You know these beings I've told you about. They tried to destroy a whole oil drilling setting."  
"I understood as much. But why would they do such a horrendous thing?"  
"Because they want this world. They want to destroy our civilization. They were behind the bombings in Egypt as well. But you must promise me this mother! Not tell anybody, save for papa and Arthur."

"I only wonder..." my mother begun, and then some silence followed. Static filled with words unuttered.  
"Yes. Please!"  
"I only wonder... what to tell father Westinghouse."

I groaned silently. The priest. I had almost forgotten... or not forgotten, repressed. Westinghouse would never be able to digest this truth. It was simply too far away from the outlook of the world he nurtured. He believed in his Christian god and Jesus' gospel and a Bible which held no room for other gods or menaces. He would never believe in the things my mother had learned, and if she told him he would more or less regard her as crazy and misled and that wouldn't do anybody any good.  
"Mama," I began, feeling sweat break out on the hand that was holding the phone. "Don't talk to the father about this. Don't ever."  
"Why, Aidra, you must understand..."  
"Mama, father Westinghouse is nearly eighty. And with this Santa Claus body of his, I'm a bit worried that his old heart would not be able to handle all these facts."

That was a lie of course, in spite of his jovial rondure Father Westinghouse's health was in an excellent shape for his age. Good genes, I assumed. Plus that the only vice he really had was modest gluttony. He didn't smoke and drank only moderately and up until he was in his late sixties he had kept up his jogging every morning. These days he walked instead, with that little doggie he had. I was sure he wouldn't have a heart attack from what my mother told him - he had probably heard a lot worse in his life. After all he was priest of a New York parish with all that came with it. There was Mrs. Cheryl Summers for instance with her CIA agents who was sending secret messages to her over the radio and TV. Westinghouse had always been very patient with her deliriums when she was talking to him about the Russians plans to attack and to kidnap the Lady Liberty for instance. Then there was that brat José Castelas with his hang-up about Muslims - he who had actually reported the carpet dealer Mr. Abele to the police, since he believed Abele was with the Al-Qaida, just because he went to the Mosque! Then there was the old hippie Fred Franklin who was seeing aliens and flying saucers all the time. Add to that a few other eccentrics with beliefs along the same line. There wasn't a thing old Westinghouse would find more worrisome about what my mother her might tell him, he would just think that she had got a bit wacked. Still I was convinced I had come up with a pretty good excuse that would keep my mother at bay - at least for the time being.

"But Aidra... Is there anyone else you think I could talk to then? Because I sure need some explanations from a reasonable soul. Aidra, my faith is in peril, and it makes me feel bad. I have always been able to listen to the words of..."  
"Mother!" I felt I had to cut her off. "It's not a good idea to talk about this over the phone. I want to see your face when I reason with you about these things. Because it is not an easy issue, I'm the first one to admit it. I've seen and learned so much over the last few months that go completely against the world I knew before. Both when it comes to religion and natural science. I sure feel from time to time that I could need someone to talk to as well, someone there to comfort my soul. But it doesn't work that way. We're on our own. Everyone is on her or his own. Even the gods are! We need to figure out on our own what the world is alike. And there's seldom any short-cut or easy manual for doing so."

I could feel how my mother once again was thinking hard on the other side of the phone. When she had done so for a while she retreated to her safe area - food. Inviting me to dinner the day after tomorrow, talking about a new way to prepare salmon which she had read about in some cooking magazine. My mother was the only one I knew who still read cooking magazines, and I had to smile slightly about that.  
"Mommie, my mouth is watering. See you on Sunday then, and give papa my best kisses!" I promised and hoped with all my soul that Ares wasn't going to send me off somewhere else before that date.


	16. The Caveat

**The Caveat**

_Paradox, Pherax and Aleata are deities invented by me for this story_

The next morning I went over to Ares' place as agreed, and was met by the usual little nymph who took my jacket, my gloves, my scarf and my cap. Since the last time I was home New York had turned cold, it felt like freezing degrees and there was even a hint of snow in the air. I wish it would snow, I loved snow, it almost made me feel like a child again, a little girl who wanted to ride down a slope on a plastic sledge.

As I came up the stairs and into the hallway outside the War Room I heard risen voices, Hekate arguing with another woman:  
"No, I won't let you do that!" Hekate's voice. "It's too dangerous."  
"What do you mean 'too dangerous'? Don't you think I'm capable of doing such a thing?" The stranger woman.  
"It's not about that and you know it!"  
"No I don't. Explain to me!"  
Now liste..." Hekate begun but then Phobos cut in:  
"Kathy you just have to start trusting us, And stop overprotecting..."  
"Phobos, you don't know what you're talking about." Hekate replied. "The Third Level isn't another Viet Nam or Verdun where you can play around with your guns and cannons and shoot some enemies down trees or out of trenches. The Third Level is..."  
"I know what the Third Level is!" Phobos interjected. "I've been to the Asphodel, remember."

As I entered the War Room I met Phobos, Hekate and this third woman. She had blue, purple and turquoise, curly hair around the same kind of feline features as Hekate, and she displayed an aggravated look upon her face where she stood opposite Hekate who had her back turned to me. And no her hair was purple, indigo and pink... No, pink, lime and oran... eh it kept changing! Intriguing! Phobos was standing a bit away from the two ladies and by the large table Ishiro was sitting behind a laptop, looking like this whole discussion had nothing to do with him, which it might not have. Keiko sat next to him with her chin in her hand and looking idly upon what Ishiro was typing. Kyknos sat a bit away eating a sandwich and reading a paper. He too seemed engrossed in what he was doing, not caring a bit about the ongoing argument.

"Good morning!" I said, pretending I didn't feel the slightly edgy vibes in the air.  
"Good morning, Aidra!" Hekate turned, and now she was smiling instead. "I heard about yesterday - good work!"  
"Well, it wasn't exactly..."  
"It was your first battle, Deimos said you did really well."  
"I need to be better with the sword."  
"Which I have promised to help her with!" Keiko said and looked up, then her brown eyes shifted towards the door and she said hello the stream of gods who begun to file in. There were all of the fighters from yesterday save for Theronion but instead we were joined by Palaistra, Theosoris, Aleata, Lysandros, Elaos, Pherax, Xantos and Oenomaus. And finally Ares, talking on a phone. But he said only a few words more while he walked up to the short end of the table and sat down, indicating with a wide wave of his left hand for us to do the same. After that he finished his call quickly. Keiko said something in Japanese and Ishiro closed his laptop.

At the same time Hekate came up to me and gave me a hug and introduced the woman I hadn't met before. It was her daughter Paradox. She sure looked like she was living up to the name with that ever changing hair colour and a body suit in some kind of holosilver material which was reflecting everything around her in the strangest ways. She looked like she had stepped out of Tron or The Matrix or something and I almost expected her to start stopping bullets with her hands - which nonetheless wouldn't be that strange in this company. Kyknos had showed me he could do that stunt, and I was actually certain that if I got a chance to train it, one day I'd be able to pull it off as well. In any case I could already jump through the air like Trinity had. These things were why my reality checks were all flashing 'fail' lately. I sure needed to catch up with my mind as well.

"Nice to meet you," I said to Paradox, taking her offered hand before sitting down next to Saxa and Androkles. The latter looked a bit tired and red-eyed as if he had a hangover or something.  
"Nice to meet you too, Aidra!" said Paradox and smiled.

Then Ares began:  
"It was a marvelous fight out there in the Atlantic yesterday, and I'm very proud of you all and also a bit exasperated because I missed all the fun. But as Athena use to say, there'll always be another battle to fight. We have forced the Titans to defeat this time, but we cannot sit down and wait for their next move. It has become time for us to see what we can do to prevent them from keeping the advantage. We'll have to be the ones who shoot the first bullet this time. And preferably we have to do it on their turf. Athena, Hercules, Alexander and I've been talking about this for a while now. We have decided that it's time to turn the boardgame around and start playing a bit more offensive. To start attacking instead of just defending which we have been doing for so many years now. 'So how do we do that', is the question I can see lingering on the lips of several of you. Well, first of all we have to find out where they dwell. We've done it before and we can do it again."

"Just when did we do that?" Aleata asked as soon as Ares had finished. The God of War looked across the table at Palaistra's redhead daughter as he answered:  
"Back in the 13:th century, before you were born. Back then the Oracle revealed to us that the Titans were hiding in what's today's Philippines, and we took them out after a bloody and extensive fight. When we finally conquered and beat down that headquarter to the very last Titan we thought we had finally won. But we celebrated too soon. It turned out that they had other hiding places and after a few decades of relative calm we were fighting them again. We flooded them in Mexico and we nuked them in Siberia but we were never able to get rid of them thoroughly. These beasts die hard, you see. Like roaches."  
"So we'll have to go after them?" Elaos, son of Bellona asked, pushing his too-long jet back fringe from his eyes.  
"We sure will," Ares confirmed. "And we do need a change of strategy now. Let other gods trough who haven't been that much involved earlier. That's why we have Paradox and Pherax here. They are both searchers. Pherax is after all, together with my daughter Keryssa, the protective deity of intelligence gatherers. Or spies if you prefer that term. Keryssa is on a mission in Northern Iraq together with Thaumas at the moment, but as soon as they are finished with that, she'll join our ranks as well."

"What did the Oracle say?" Kyknos asked, brushing bread crumbles from his gray woolen sweater.  
"Unfortunately she was not able to help us. Too much spiritual disturbances in the air."  
"It's those damn acts of terrors," Hekate cursed. "They whip up too much interference and bad vibes. It was the same after Madrid, London and 9/11."  
"One would think Oracles being able to compensate for that now," Proioxis pointed out as she kept fidgeting with her newly blonded hair.  
"Apparently they are not," Hekate replied. "Remember, this is chaos magic we're dealing with here. Too darn unpredictable for most gods. And oracles have always been more sensitive to these things than others. Comes with the territory so to say."  
"So," Ares sighed and rubbed his nose. "We have to do this all by ourselves. Which I have no doubt we can, I'll just take a little longer. Now listen - this is how it'll work..."

Then Ares had spent almost an hour talking about the new plan. He had showed some power points, mostly maps with suspected Titan hideouts marked. Finally he said that we were going to go over yesterday's battle again, using a method called backtrack scrying. It was like watching recordings, the only thing was that no one had actually been recording anything. It was a pure magical deployment. By using this method we were going to see if it was possible to backtrack the attacking Titans to their origin. And if that origin was a known one or not.

"Ares," Paradox held up her hand then, looking at the war god with her almost radiant hazel eyes. Her hair was mauve, yellow and black at that time.  
"Yes, dear?" Ares turned to Hekate's daughter.  
"I have a suggestion about this backtracking thing." she begun and when her mother started to protest Paradox told her off in a rather harsh way. "I suggest that instead of a regular backtracking which is time consuming and unpredictable and may probably turn up with zilch and nada, we do a Third Level journey to find out these particular Titan's origins. Because of the time lag we might be finished within an hour - First Level time, while those who go may get like 48 hours to finish their work. I volunteer to go and I hope to be able to take Pherax and Phobos with me."  
"Paradox, that's very brave of you." Ares begun. "Brave and innovative. I assume that the three of you have been talking about this before suggesting it, weighing the risks and the benefits thoroughly. After all the Third Level have driven more than one god mad. Just remember what happened to Laothea!"

That was a name I had never heard before but I saw how other gods turned pale upon the mentioning of her name and some mumblings were heard.  
"She went to the third level?" I asked.  
"Yes - and never came back," Hekate replied.  
"Eh - how exactly did that happen?" Aleata asked.  
"Well she 'returned' al right," Phobos replied, "but she never became herself again. She went striking mad! And is still living in her own asylum on a sole little island outside the Olympos lagoon, tended by nymphs."  
"Ouch!" I said and glanced over at Hekate, no wonder my friend was worried about her daughter.  
"Yeah, fact is you don't really 'go' there - in a physical sense. It's a travel in spirit." Phobos said. "A travel beyond death. So it's very risky for the soul and the sanity. That's why I've offered to go there as well. Because being the god of fear I'm expert on the subject - as well as how to defend yourself against it. I believe I can offer defense for those who go."

"It would actually be an idea if you came along as well, Aidra," Paradox suggested.  
"Why? Me? Are you nuts!" wide-eyed I glared across the table at the goddess who's hair was now red, orange and purple.  
"In fact not, it's actually a very good idea, since you're not familiar with a lot of the concepts down there and thus won't scare that easy." Pherax filled in.  
"Hey wait! No way!" I put out my right hand, making a stop sign in the air. "First all of you including Ares and Hekate says it's damn hazardous and that you risk going mad and now some of you want ME down there. Who have only been in my first fight and have never been prepared for things like this."  
"But that's why you're perfect for it." Paradox replied. "You go down there without prejudices."  
"And return mad?"  
"I'll make sure you don't" Phobos replied. "Cross my heart, I'll hold your hand down there, Aidra."

"Ares, what do you say?" Hekate's voice was stern. "Is it a good idea to send down Aidra there?"  
"I'm not so sure. She is after all not that experienced yet..." the god of war replied. And that settled it for me. My darn stubborn pride taking the steering wheel of my life again.  
"I'll do it. Just show me how!" I volunteered. "But not until the day after tomorrow. I'll dine with my parents tomorrow night, and I can't let them down once again."  
"Oh, don't worry, Aidra! You'll be well back by then." Paradox said. "Safe and sound."

O0O0O0O

The place beyond death! How can one describe it? Especially if you haven't seen death either. Actually death - or the Lethe and Asphodel dimensions - is a gray place where the souls forget and get cleaned, purged or whatever you might call it. It's not a burning hell, nor a flourishing paradise. It's just a place of cleansing, a preparation for the souls to either be reborn/reincarnated back on Earth or to go somewhere else to be part or another cosmic adventure. But we went beyond that. I got a short vision of the Asphodel though, and Paradox told me that it was here Hades came when he was looking for the soul of a dead being for some reason or another. He was actually here so often that he almost knew this place by heart now, and thus the necromancer had got the epithet 'King of the death' and the Asphodel and Lethe were sometimes referred to as 'Hades' backyard' or simply 'The Hades'.

When we passed further, beyond those realms, we reached a misty and monochrome landscape of endlessly rolling hills covered with a plastic-like and somewhat wet surface, which was slowly turning blue the further we advanced. First there was only a paleness I was certain I was imagining, then it took on the colour like washed out denim and soon it turned bluer and bluer, darker and more intense, until it was primary blue like part of a rainbow, almost making the retinas ache. After that we started to see orange blotches in it, like orbs of fire, and I was more or less surprised that anyone could see anything scary in this place. It was in fact beautiful, although desolate, because it held no souls.

"How can we find anything here to show us the way to the Titan lair?" I asked Paradox.  
"We're far from there yet," the other goddess replied. She looked a bit lost and her hair had turned completely black.  
"Not far now though." Pherax said.  
"But this is the hardest part." Phobos said. "We're using the Xinmor gate."  
"No shit!" replied Pherax, turning pale.  
"Yes we sure will" Phobos replied with a stern face. "and if you just do as I say it's going to be fine."

I breathed in, I could feel the other's discomfort like thorns in the back of my mind even though I wasn't frightened myself. Not yet...

"Now," Phobos whispered as the ground started to slowly slope upwards. "Remember what I said earlier. Keep quiet." His last syllable became sort of cut off. At that moment I thought I saw something above. Not being able to resist I bent my neck and looked up in the blue limbo. The light up there had sort of grown paler again, resembling more a dawn sky now - and there were those dark things, they looked like slightly bent iron beams. Shining somehow, reflecting some distant source of light. I wrinkled my brow, it was almost as if they had been forged by human hands. I was just about to ask about those when I remembered that Phobos had told us to be quiet. Perhaps there was something here after all. Something lurking. The very thought of it made me a bit anxious and I turned behind, but there was just Pherax in his red hoodie and jeans - or the soul image of him at least. I noted that he looked a bit uncomfortable.

Next thing I felt hard fingers pinch my upper arm and I turned, met the eyes of Paradox, who was wrinkling her brow and shaking her head. She moved her lips as if to say something, however I heard no voice, just this endlessly whispering white noise like wind through dry leaves and slushing water. That sound, which I realized we had heard all the time since we left the Asphodel and the howling souls there.  
"What?" I asked, but nothing was heard. I tried again - "What?" still nothing. And Paradox was talking as well although I couldn't hear a thing. Nothing save for that darn white noise. Then Phobos turned and he looked stern when he put his right index finger to his lip in a silencing gesture. The next instance he shifted his brown eyes in anxiety and that made me turn - and - Pherax? He was gone!

I turned again, looked at the other two, formed the two syllables of the gods name with my lips but still nothing was heard. The others had seen it too, but Phobos grabbed us and forced us forward. Spooked I turned once more, looking for Paradox' brother, but he was nowhere to be seen. Phobos let go of me and then he and Paradox started forward fast. I started following them more or less running - why this hurry now, and how could we just leave Pherax here? I so wanted to tell them that it was wrong, but I knew nothing could be heard of my voice here. As I struggled to catch up I suddenly saw that we were nearing a large concrete wall. It reminded me of the old Berlin wall but without the graffiti, worn concrete stained with the rust from the iron bars running inside and sometimes poking through from cracks and holes in the edifice. Phobos and Paradox were heading for an opening which looked rather narrow. And as Phobos entered first and Paradox followed they quickly passed through and disappeared on the other side without even turning around to check if I was with them.

At that moment if felt as if something with cold claws was taking hold of my heart, and I had to force myself to breath slowly, it took almost all my will power to not freak out. Why had they been running from me, leaving me here? Phobos had promised we'd stay together...

I sprinted up to that hole and I became a bit uneasy when I saw how narrow it really was. Anyhow I figured that if the bulky Phobos had been able to pass through, so would I. Oddly enough I'd have to go sideways, I realized. But as I pressed myself inside I felt the harsh concrete rasp over my bare shoulders. A part of my mind wondered what had happened to my sweater. Then the opening started to grow narrower and narrower as if the walls were closing in upon me! As I looked ahead I saw nothing. Nothing but more darkness, as if this wasn't a way through the wall but just a hole into it. Yet where had the others gone then? Determined to catch up with them, I began to press harder - and then I realized I was caught in the concrete. No matter how I tried I could not move forward - or backwards either. I was stuck!

"Phobos!" I called out. "Phobos! Paradox! Pherax! Where are you, guys?"

Still I could not hear my voice.

"Phobos?"

"Paradox?"

"Phobos!"

Still I refused to freak out, strived to stay calm, although the panic was setting in, making sweat break out on my back and my breath contract in my troth.

"Phobos! Damn you, answer! Phobos! I'm fucking stuck here!"

Nothing...

I have no clue how long I was stuck there trying with all my might to either get back, get forward or break the concrete. Break the concrete? I HAD broken concrete back on Earth, using divine strength. What was it again? I concentrated hard and managed to move my right shoulder just the slightest bit - and then I smashed it as hard as I could into the concrete and waited for the pain.

It didn't come.

Instead I saw cracks appear into the wall structure, cracks which began to multiply first slow and then faster and faster until they filled my whole vision, and as I rose my arm this time, I realized it wasn't necessary. Instead I started to hear a rumbling sound, muted first and then growing stronger and more prominent until it filled my whole head and made me squeeze my eyes. Within a moment the wall came tumbling down upon me, and scared for my life I ducked and protected my head with my arms which were now free to move. But no stones came, I didn't even feel the impact against divine shielding. Instead I found that I could move again. The next thing I became aware of heat against my face. Now what?

When I opened my eyes and rose up to standing position I saw to my horror that I was standing on a narrow crest surrounded by chasms with burning fire below, fire with hot orange flames licking the rock wall. And was I close to the edge? It almost made me nauseous! THIS had to be hell at least, of that was I certain. Or the Tartarus or whatever the Greeks had called their version of the hole of the damned souls. The heat was almost unbearable as it assaulted my bare upper body, scorching my lips and my troth as I strove for breath.

The next thing I became aware of was someone crying behind me. As I turned around I recognized Paradox, she was sitting down on the rocky ground, tears streaming down her face. Lying with her head in Paradox' lap, motionless and pale, was Hekate. Still as if she was dead, unseeing eyes staring into nothing. Hekate! What was she doing here? And why? What could have happened?  
"Paradox?" As I reached out with my hand I realized that we could talk again.  
"I failed her. I failed my mother. I should have listened to her. I should never have gotten into this. I failed her, and now she's gone. Dead!"  
"Paradox! That's not poss..." as I knelt down, the other goddess held up her hand to try to ward me off, her whole being so torn apart that it was dreadful to see.

The next second I heard something sounding like parts of the rock we were on were cracking up and tumbling down and as I twirled around, almost toppling over and barely catching my breath, I saw a hand gripping the edge of the rock crest. The next second Phobos was heaving himself up on the ground and before even noticing - or caring about us and the fallen Hekate, he turned back, held out his hand again and hauled up a chocked and trembling Pherax.  
"Come on now, we've got to get going!" He urged us.  
"But..." I said and Paradox made no move whatsoever. Then the son of Ares drew breath and said:  
"Didn't you guys listen at all? This is not real. Nothing of what you see around you is real! It's your inner fears you're living now. Doxxie, you're scared of hurting your mother, so you see her death and Aidra, you're scared of getting stuck in life, so you got stuck in that wall. But it was brave of you to defeat that fear. And Pherax, your fear of being left behind was what made you lose us.

At those words of the god of fear the spell broke and everything around us disappeared, including the dead Hekate. And left was just that blue limbo again. And I had to ask:  
"How about you, Phobos?"  
"What?"  
"What are you afraid of, how did your fear manifest itself?"  
"That was the first thing we experienced - apparently this world decided to strike against me first, since I was the leader. I've always feared not being listened to. Being ignored and locked out. So my voice, as well as yours disappeared. That was horrible, and I had to tell myself all the time it was nothing but an illusion, or I'd freaked. Especially when you began talking, which made it even harder to convince myself it was all an illusion."

"So now what?" Paradox asked, still looking a bit funked.  
"We move on of course, we still have quite a bit to go before we get to where we are going." Phobos replied.  
"Are we – will we get scared like this again?" Pherax asked.  
"No, I wouldn't think so," Phobos replied. "After all nothing is as scary second time around."  
"I'm thankful for that," I said and shivered, noticing how the heat seemed to have disappeared as soon as Phobos had come around again. I also discovered that I was wearing my sweater again.

Soon we were on the move once more, up a dwindling kind of staircase of steel without railings, and when I looked down my old fear of heights manifested itself. When Phobos saw that he simply told me to close my eyes, after all I could climb the stairs without looking, and holding on to the pillar in the centre. After what felt like thirty minutes of climbing stairs we arrived on a beach with a setting sun where oily water patted the sand and dead animals were lying around everywhere and in various states of decay. This time Phobos told Paradox to close her eyes and then she walked arm in arm with the god of fear. Finally we crossed through a kind of mental ward with locked up loonies behind bars, they too in a case of more or less bodily decay, wicked and almost luminescent eyes regarding us out of contorted faces. This was another fear of Pherax. But with a stern face Phobos guided us past those horrors and we left the beach and crossed trough ruins of a dead city.

"This is mine," the god now said.  
"Is it?" Paradox asked and Phobos nodded.  
"Yes, it is Egalia."  
"What's Egalia?" I asked.  
"It's a city in the future, the last city of mankind. Bombed to pieces."

I looked at the ruined buildings, crumbling concrete and iron skeletons rising accusatory against a gray, overcast sky. All over I saw tumbled and burned out vehicles and rests of what might have been street signs and stop lights. The only thing moving were birds – gulls and ravens.  
"The last city of mankind? You can't mean – we're going to lose this?"  
"This is not real, remember," Phobos said, but I saw dread shining out of his brown eyes. "This is only my fear. My fear of failure. One of my nightmares, although it's been some time since I had it the last time."  
"Does the others know about this?" I asked.  
"Only Deimos, he was down with me here once. But back then this city was still Rome."  
"That's the thing with fears," Pherax said. "We tend to keep them to usselves, being a bit ashamed of them."

I looked around at this New York like city, thinking of how much it did remind me of my Manhattan. A destroyed version of my hometown, and I couldn't help shivering as well. Then I looked at the pale god in front of me, and the pearls of sweat at his forehead which manifested themselves even in this world. At that moment I held out my arm to him, telling:  
"Take my arm and close your eyes! Perhaps you can guide us for a while, Paradox?"  
"I'll try my best," Hekate's daughter said.  
"Just go straight ahead," Phobos ordered, I could almost hear how he tried to keep his voice from wavering. "Down this avenue of whatever."

Guided by Paradox we walked through this destroyed Egalia and in a way I felt that knowing each other's fear somehow brought us together. After all Pherax was right, it was secrets we shared down here. After what felt like an endless walk through ruins and ruins of skyscrapers, cathedral-like buildings, bridgeheads and other structures, but without seeing a living soul anywhere beside of those birds, Egalia gave way to another colourless dessert. And without there really being a change the dessert became a heaving ocean and then...

...Then finally we were back on those oil drilling platforms again, and then we knew we had made it. The ordeals were over – at least for the time being. And there came the Titans and there were we ready to take them on and to fight them. Now Paradox did her trick of turning the time and it all started to go backwards. That was impressive. Accordingly we became able to follow the Titans as they flew backward towards their origin - until they entered a kind of half destroyed building in the north-east part of Tokyo, Japan!

Darn! Those Titans had come from Japan. And would we find more of them there?

"That's a labyrinth, we wouldn't want to go in there now," Paradox said when we were thinking of following the Titans. "It's enough that we know they are there for the time being."  
"So let's return!" Phobos replied.

But before we left The Third Level we saw her. A strange looking lady, all dressed in white and with a bluish pale face, strands of gray hair flying behind her like banners in a wind seemingly only blowing where she was standing. And she pointed towards us with a claw-like hand with four inches, pointy long nails of gleaming steel:  
"Go back where you came from Olympians!" she croaked. "Go back, you do not belong here. Remember this, if you come here you will destroy this land and pay for it with life! One of you may not live to see the next New Year. This is the caveat you must head! Stay away from Japan!"


	17. Tokyo Titans

**Tokyo Titans**

_**Castor**__ and __**Pollux**__ were twin sons of Zeus, who started off as demigods, but then one of them became immortal, but as they didn't want this injustise they decided to share their immortality and lived part time on Olympos and part time in the Elysian fields. In my story they live their complete life as war gods  
__**Ililathea**__ is a person invented solely for this story_

"Stay away from Japan?" Hekate echoed.  
"Who was she?" Paradox asked.  
"Better ask Ishiro or Keiko," Phobos suggested.

Phobos, Pherax, Paradox and I were back up again, back in the real world, quite shaken all four of us. We had been gone for hours, relative time, but in our usual reality only 50 minutes had passed. That felt strange, like when you wake up from a catnap filled with long dreams. And now we were gathered in the living room on the second floor of Ares' place, with a few plates of a light lunch in front of us. Hekate was there as well as Ares, Deimos, Penthesileia and Bellona. The rest of the war gods were off on various duties or had gone home. I felt shaken and weak, slightly nauseous - although far from insane. Nonetheless, I had to keep looking around into the airy and elegantly modern room and at Manhattan Skyline outside the large, panoramic windows to convince myself that I was back in the real world again, that I was not having yet another dream. And that my Manhattan was nothing like the Egalia of Phobos' nightmare, but alive and well. This time I didn't have a reality check fail, reality was comfortingly real, and consequent (save for Paradox hair, now green, lime and white) and the food and the beverages were real enough to be filling up my belly nicely.

"So I'm glad to see that you made it," Ares said as he sat down in one of the large and comfy chairs of steel and black leather, the latter material creaking silently as he found his position. "How do you all feel?"  
"I'm a bit cold," I admitted and swept the plaid closer around me, holding on to it with my left hand while I ate upon a turkey drumstick with my right.  
"That's only natural," Penthesileia told. "Your blood pressure has dropped quite a bit because of the bodily inactivity. Happens when the heart rate goes down below one beat per minute. Especially if you're not used to that state."  
"So I was..." I wrinkled my brow, searched for a word, first in Ancient Greek then in English.  
"Hibernated." Penthesileia filled in with a faint smile.

"So what's next?" Deimos asked. "We attack Japan?"  
"Exactly," Ares said.  
"But we can't just burst in there with drawn swords, we'd unleash hell upon those poor Japanese," Bellona pointed out.  
"I'm not talking about that kind of attack," Ares said. "But a stealth one. We can't let the Titans know we are coming, so we'll have to arrive into Tokyo in small numbers, three by three and as regular mortals, riding the planes."  
"Yay - airplane food!" Phobos exclaimed. "That was something the Third Level missed. Force-feeding me with plastic ham and potato salad made out of Styrofoam!"

I smiled at that and Paradox made yucking sound.  
"You don't have to eat the crap," his brother told and rolled his eyes, still there was mirth in his voice.  
"If one should pretend to be a mortal you can't sit in a plane for twelve hours and not eat a thing," The god of fear pointed out and Bellona said that she could stand the food as long as she was exempted from watching the movies. She was certain that the Third Level would face her with an endless parade of Robin Williams clones. I put down the rest of my drumstick, this jolly bantering from my fellow Olympians were actually worth the Third Level. Although I refrained from telling that, I didn't want anyone to believe I'd be going there again. Not within reasonable time at least.

0000000000000000

"How could you do that, Ares? What were you thinking?" I heard Apollo's voice downstairs and as I passed through the upper hall I stopped to listen. Keiko and I had held our fencing lesson at Ares' to gain some time, because we were doing a lot of planning and preparation for our Tokyo trip these days. Today I had been promised a day off, to go out and 'Do Manhattan' together with Apollo who was coming to pick me up. And apparently me beloved was angered at Ares over something.  
"It was her own decision," the war god replied.  
"Ares, come on! Aidra is still kind of a rookie and she's not ready to risk herself on such a mission!"

(They were talking about me! Where they talking Third Level?)

"Apollo, why do you keep underestimating people? Good people who are more than capable to make decisions on their own?"  
"And why do you keep risking people on reckless missions?"  
"Then tell me how I should acquire necessary intelligence?"  
"You didn't have to risk Aidra!"  
"I didn't risk her! She's fine!"  
"But what if she hadn't been. What if she had been harmed down there? She could've been harmed real bad. There are certain things you don't do against people, Ares. And that was one of them."  
"Apollo, in case you haven't noticed there's a war going on with the world in balance."  
"And you put Aidra in one bowl of the scales? Why?"  
"Because she volunteered, I've already told you..."  
"And I've already told YOU..."

At the same time Keiko came out from the same door as I'd just left, so I had to pretend I wasn't listening in on the gods' conversation and go back into the gym's wash room instead, mumbling something about 'forgetting my...'. Then as the door shut close, I pressed my ear against it. I sure wanted to know what Apollo and Ares were saying now when I was the centre of the discussion.

"... a good cop... ...made decisions based upon... already back then..." I heard Ares say.  
"No, because I value her!"  
"No, you're underestimating her."  
"She's been a goddess for... ...not even a hundred..."  
"And how long have you... ...a couple of lazy days, while..."  
"But then... ...a mortal..."  
"And a great police who... ...Almost a decade, Apollo! So I can safely say..."  
"...not... Aidra... I am going to suggest that she gets transferred away from your group, Ares, and into..."  
"...will never accept that..."  
"Athena can... ...since you don't..."  
"You're being unreasonable!"  
"No, Ares, you are! You're putting a young goddess at risk because you cannot accept that... ...just like... not benefitting anyone..."  
"Apollo you've always kept your headquarter between your loins!"  
"And where do you keep... ...outrageous... ...insatiable blood thirst... ...guns and nukes!"  
"And to what use... ...stupid boybands and insipid..."

Then a third voice had cut into the discussion. Hekate. Although I couldn't hear what she had to say, it soon became obvious that she had managed to cool down the divine brothers somehow, because they shopped shouting down there in the hall, and I left my listening position with a sigh. Experiencing some odd kind of guilt, I leaned back against the wall, closed my eyes and sighed. Now, what to tell Apollo?

0000000000000

"Aidra, I'm worried about you!" Apollo said as he tenderly stroke away a few strands of hairs from my forehead. We were resting in my bed after a fantastic afternoon, where we had walked, talked and ridden the sightseeing boat around Manhattan - not that we exactly needed sightseeing, Apollo had even more years of experience of New York than I had, in spite of having lived almost my whole life in the Big Apple. But it was wonderful to experience something like this together. Sail beneath the bridges, as well as flying above them when it became night and the city was all lightened up. We had dined at a fancy yet homelike restaurant my beloved knew about. An establishment which had been inaccessible to me in my former life because of the prices of the dishes. Still it was different from the Amarcord, not the slightest trendy, but more like someone's old living room. We had seen a Broadway show and then we had ended it all with a drink in the sky bar of the Chrysler building. And finally we had gone home to my place and had the most magnificent love making. Faithes, I had missed that man so much, even though it had been hardly three weeks since our last meeting.

And now he was concerned. How considerate. The way he said it, the way he touched me so gently meanwhile, it almost gave me a lump in my chest. He cared! He really did! About little me!  
"Why?" I asked him, looking into those blue eyes which were more or less luminescent in the dark. At least I was able to make out the blue of his irises in spite of the only light being what seeped in through the curtains. The lights of the city that never sleeps.  
"Ares is not treating you well."  
"He's treating me fine. I've only been met with respect in his group. Save for Bia but she's..."  
"It's not about that, and you know it. He's risking you. In fact he's risking all of the gods in his group, even his own children. He's so obsessed with winning this war that he runs ahead without thinking."  
"Apollo, dear! I'm thankful for your consideration, but it's not like that at all."  
"Aidra, even Athena and Hercules are worried about your group. And you as a newbie should definitely not be with him. I can talk to Athena. I know that'd she'd gladly have you..."

"Thanks, beloved, but no thanks. I like this group. I have made great friends here, Hekate, Penthesileia, Deimos, Pho..."  
"I know, but..."  
"..bos, Saxa, Kyknos, Androkles, Proioxis, Palioxis, Polemos... Besides I do not want to leave New York. Which I would definitely have to do if I should transfer to Athena's group in Cape Town. And sure, I know a few of her people as well, like Cloë, Nike, Medon and Aventinius. However I would still have to sort of start anew with making myself part of the group. I think I'd do better staying where I am."  
"Aidra. I know how you might feel, but dearest I don't want anything to happen to you. I don't want Ares to push you so hard that something should happen to you."  
"It won't. Apollo, I can take care of myself," I said and cuddled closer to him.  
"I really hope so," he murmured. "But if you should change your mind, you know that you can always call Athena. I know she'd..."  
"Hush, Apollo! Can we end this discussion now, please?"

0000000000000000

For our Tokyo venture our group became strengthened with Castor, Pollux and Ililathea from Hercules' group and Nike and Akheloios came over from Athena's. The twins Castor and Pollux might've been comedians on the solstice night back at Olympia, but now the auburn haired duo was dead serious warriors. And they were if possible even harder to tell apart than Proioxis and Palioxis. Ililathea was a sleek and blond fighter with a slight likeness to the singer Pink and according to Penthesileia she was a demon on a motorbike.

Ares was organizing and planning as usual, sorting us up in sub groups and managing logistics. As much as I loved Apollo I couldn't agree that there were anything reckless with the workings of my boss. Of course, he did manage a war and thus he, as well as the rest of us, was aware that we took risks. Nonetheless I had always found Ares considerate with his personnel, both as the police officer Marc Harris and as Ares the God of War. I guess it was simply a case of my beloved being worried about me, and I appreciated that. At the same time I couldn't do anything else than respecting Ares and the decisions he made.

"You're going via Los Angeles, you're a group of seven businessmen from an anonymous company and you're going to visit an equally anonymous Japanese company," he told me, Saxa, Paradox, Androkles, Castor, Theosoris and Oenomaus. Dress up as such, in suit and tie. Pinstripes, you know the deal. Nothing too fancy, no labels. You fly out on Monday." At the same time Geras was handing out passports, air tickets, credit cards and all the other stuff needed to model a faked identity into perfection. I became Adele Martins and 45 years old, so I guessed I had to try some age illusions tonight before I begun to pack.

"Who's bringing the arms?" Androkles wanted to know.  
"Deimos and I fly with a military cargo plane to the US base at Okinawa, and there Ishiro and Kago meet us and we're bringing the arms to Tokyo on a plane belonging to the Japanese navy, usual procedure. Then Pherax and Bia will go doing the recon, and when Paradox arrives, she'll join them. If you'll need any muscle backup, Kyknos and Phobos are available for that. As soon as you've learned the necessary about the Titan lair's layout and we have the arms in place, there will be a final plan of attack. Before that your main mission is to get to Japan without raising any suspicions in any camp, and then on the 28:th we're meeting in the Deian Ryokan, the cover story is a business conference. Proioxis and Palioxis, I want you to remain here and guard the East Coast together with Romulus, while..."

00000000000000000

Two days later we were in the air. As the plane left the runway of Kennedy Airport I felt that kind of surge of excitement in my belly as I always got when being in an airplane. It was perhaps a bit childish but to me the take-off of a plane was a true signal of adventure. No matter, that I didn't really need these machines to get anywhere these days, and the real adventures I had undertaken during the last few months were far more exciting than any holiday for mortals. More exciting and at the same time more scary and less desirable than anything the mortals might be doing. When I leaned back in the seat, I glanced around upon the other travelers in the business class. Now, that was new too – had never flew business before. There were the regular executives, everyone looking less gung-ho than the next one and most of them, men and women, looking like they could use some real steaming sex. I couldn't help leaning over to Saxa in the seat next to me and sharing my observation (bless Ancient Greek, forgotten by almost anyone these days) and she put down her pocket book and tittered.

"You're so peculiar-minded, Aidra!" she giggled.  
"What you reading?"  
"Cradle. By Arthur C Clarke. Sci Fi."  
"Any good."  
"Sure!"

The belt sign came off and the stewardesses begun walking around, offering drinks. They were free here, not that it mattered for an Olympian, but it gave room for more interesting social observations. It turned out that the ones I had considered being in most need of some sex were those who were drinking the most as well. Hmmm - interesting.

"Aidra?" Saxa interrupted me and I turned to look at her. My friend was zipping a daiquiri and smiling curiously with her eyes at me.  
"Yes?"  
"You'n'Apollo?" she asked. "Is it the real thing?"  
"Eh - I hope so."  
"You like him a lot?"  
"I sure do. He's kind, tender and caring. We do things together and he makes me feel valuable and desired. That's not a feeling I'm used to. At least not from men. And having a god making me feel that way, I can hardly describe what it's like. But it sure is fantastic."  
"I understand that well. Tell me more! We do have a long flight ahead of us after all."

00000000000000000000

Tokyo, Japan! I had always wanted to come to Tokyo. Ever since I was a little girl and saw a docu about the Japanese capital had I wanted to go there. Sadly there was never a chance for me to do so. On a cop's salary you didn't get far, and earlier than that I had even less money. So now, as the plane was descending over the fantastic city, I was so totally in awe that I almost forgot the reason for our journey here. I was looking at all the lights which glistened in the night like frozen fireworks and the combination between a low skyline and standalone high buildings which was so different from my New York. I could hardly wait to walk those streets down there and take in the atmosphere. The neon, the people, the sounds and the sights. I wanted to eat real sushi and shop in Ginza. I wanted to visit the Imperial Palace and its famous gardens. I wanted to see the Harajuku and Akhiabara I wanted to sample j-pop and manga. Keiko would have to teach me the language!

"Did you know that Ares lived here in Japan for more than 600 years?" Saxa asked and turned to look at me.  
"No, when?"  
"Between the 12th and the 18th century. So this is kind of home turf for our boss."  
"Wow, tell me!"

While the plane landed and arrived to the departure hall through a labyrinth of tarmacs, Saxa told about how Ares more or less by a coincidence ended up in Japan. She told about how the war god helped the Japanese to fending off Chinese aggressors twice with the help of among other things, cyclone winds. Gales, which the war god for some reason only known to him, named after the monster Typhon, a beast Zeus and Athena had defeated some centuries before. And in Japanese that became the Taifuns. Then Ares spent quite some time to create and improve the samurai class and the Bushido - "The Way of the Warrior". He helped the Japanese to develop arms, armor and defenses, swordsmanship, castles, tactics and strategies. And he sired offspring, like the families of Nobunaga and Tokugawa, most of them mortals who's genes lives on in the Japanese society even today, but also two immortal sons: Ishiro and Hideyoshi. The latter was killed during World War Two but Ishiro was of course very much alive and well, and would receive us when we had landed.

"I never knew this!" I replied, shaking my head in awe, as we began to disembark the plane. "Save for Ish of course. But I thought that Ares - just as everyone else these days - was just fascinated by Japan. But this explains his extensive knowledge about Japanese culture, and all those little stories he's been telling about samurais and ninjas and similar things."  
"Aidra, in many ways, Ares IS samurai culture." Saxa said as she struggled to get out her luggage from the compartment without breaking either the suitcase or the airplane interiors. Then she added a long line of profanities, first in ancient Greek, then in English followed by Celtic and finally in Spanish before she got her suitcase out. And I could just imagine the reaction of the other passengers if that one had broken and all those weapons she had inside would have fallen out. Terrorist crisis would just be the middle name for it! Saving the world was a hard job to do, as Deimos used to say.

00000000000000000000

"I hope we'll get the time for some sightseeing later," I smiled as I sunk down in the hot water of the onsen of Deian Ryokan.  
"Is that all you can think of," Paradox giggled and glanced over at me.  
"Pardon me, lady of the world, but I've never been to Japan before. And I've been fascinated by this land my whole life, which length might not impress anyone in this tub, but to me it's an eternity."  
"Relax, Aidra, there'll be time enough for that too, when we are done with our duty here," Saxa replied.  
"In fact, we might strike already the day after tomorrow," Penthesileia said. "Kyknos and Palaistra are coming in from London tomorrow at midnight as the last ones, and I just talked to Pherax. They've been checking out the Titan hideout, which is just north of Tokyo and manufactured maps and found weak points like really good little spies. So I guess the day after tomorrow will be kick ass time.  
"Oh, I cannot wait," Palaistra grinned evilly. "I've missed the last action, I'm sure not going to miss this! Aw - shiiit, Kei!"

The last was directed to Keiko who was pouring a bucket of almost boiling hot water in our tub.  
"Gee, Pali, it was freezing this waters of yours," the Japanese goddess said. "What kind of warriors is it who cannot stand the heat?"  
"We're the cool ones!" Palaistra said and Saxa huffed in agreement, neither she was too fond of hot baths.  
"Come on, girlies," Penthesileia returned, "When in Japan, do as the Japanese do!"  
"As long as they're samurais, I'm fine with it, chopping off heads of Titans!" Saxa replied.  
"You're so violent," Keiko stated as she squeezed herself in between me and Paradox.  
"Oh, speak for yourself, ninja!" Penthesileia said, and then she added. "Did you know she was a ninja, Aidra?"  
"For real?" I turned to Ishiro's wife.  
"Yeah sort of. I was a geisha too, to be true. I've been doing a lot of things, you see." Then Keiko started to tell the most amazing tale of growing up in the Japanese pantheon, upon working undercover among mortals before meeting Ishiro, son of Ares. Which had been far from love at first sight, even if it hadn't been a romantic cliché of first fighting then loving.

000000000000000000000

The snow was creaking beneath our boots as we advanced towards the Titan fortress in the predawn darkness and glowed hands were gripping weapons, anxious to use them. A snowstorm (courtesy of Bellona) was whipping ice cold sleet and snow across our quickly shielded faces and the temperature was almost as low as it possibly could become, when we trekked carefully across the wooden-clad hillside. Since there were almost no light to navigate by, we had turned to infra sight, which rendered the world in a strange kaleidoscope of greens, reds and yellows, where the darkest, reddest blotches were ourselves, emitting heat, as well as the few animals around: birds, rabbits and an odd deer which looked surprised at us white clad strangers who were moving upwards. The fortress was located on top of a rocky hill, mainly underground, and once again I got the feeling of being in a James Bond movie. Only that our enemies were so much more lethal than anyone agent 007 had ever faced. They wouldn't go down for a simple gun shot.

Closing in on the unrelentingly stark and harsh concrete form ahead, we found no sign of attention. No movement at all. It almost felt strange, as if they didn't watch the perimeter. I could almost hear Ares' plans as a voice-over in my head as we neared our entry-point: _There's a ventilation outflow at south, southwest, nothing fancy, but large enough for people to get through one by one. I suggest you use mental stealth while doing so, in case any Titan should be close enough to sense brain waves. Be prepared with aigises in there, or you'd be sitting ducks. _

Ahead of me Ishiro was loosening the vent grid, one screw after the next, using regular tools instead of telekinetics, just to avoid giving away too much magic waves. After screw number four he lifted down the grid and made a sign with his white glove and we started to enter one after the other, Penthesileia, Lysandros, Kyknos, I, Nike, Oenomaus, Theosoris, Elaos, Ililathea and then finally himself. Neat as he was he put the grid back when we entered, in case anyone might notice. This time he had to use telekinetic for the screws though. I wasn't sure which was more cautious, to just leave them or to put them back again. And I was quite sure that when we got out there would be brute and quick force deployed instead.

More James Bond feeling as we crawled through the snaking pipe and then exited on a floor near the edge of the building, through another of these vents, after Penthesileia had checked that the coast was clear, and slid down on the floor. Then we followed one by one (Ares: _Don't land on the ground, your bumps may be heard, stop a few centimetres in the air and descend slowly!_) and dropped down on a floor clad in a dirty old broadloom which original colours were impossible to guess. We had entered a long corridor running by the outer wall, which consisted almost solely of windows, showing nothing but darkness outside. The place laid in relative dusk, only a collection of weak lamps lit up the hall and it smelled of dust, tea, old smoke and a faint trace of cleaning chemicals. The only thing heard was the humming of the ventilation.

"This used to be a ski resort once," Elaos whispered to no one and everyone, fidgeting with his jacket with blunt, freckled fingers, his red mop of hair electrostatic after having removed his woolen cap. Soon we began to spread out. I got the faintest impression of the others who were arriving from different corners of the outside. Back doors and chimneys, silent intruders. Still no alarm from the inhibitors. Strange, I thought, what if the place was deserted? What if this had been just a red herring? Then again there were patterns of living things around, even if I couldn't decide if it was Titans, mortals or other beings. In any case had we seen Titans coming from this place, so there had to be at least something here connected to Titan activity.

Then, as I advanced down a long and dark corridor, I suddenly felt something stir, saw a shadow in the corner of my eyes. As I pulled out my katana I heard Kyknos swallow next to me and the next thing a light flickered on ahead of us. _Stealth!_ Kyknos mindspoke me and I obeyed, rendered myself and my clothes and weapon invisible on all wavelengths of light. Then we waited. And there he was, a sole Titan strolling along with a machine-gun at the ready, cocky looking and unafraid as he came walking down the corridor, dressed in worn black and brown leather in a fashion which made me think of certain gay men. Chains were dangling from his shoulders like a horror travesty of an operetta general and his spiked boots creaked as he walked forward, chewing upon something which may either be a gum or tobacco. If I didn't know how lethal those beings were I'd almost laughed at his cliché-badass appearance.

The next second Kyknos sent me an image of a sliced troth and I complied, then we caught the body before he fell and could make a sound. We pulled it to the side and Kyknos dropped some stealth potion over the fallen Titan so he became more or less invisible for the time being. Wouldn't hold for a closer scrutiny, but perhaps delaying alarm a little bit longer. Finishing that we continued down the corridor, a bit reassured that this was indeed the place we were looking for. The notion grew with the next leather-gay guard who came against us with the same strutty motion and the quite similar snuff of that one.

Not long after we came across Nike and Oenomaus who arrived from the opposite direction. Obviously this corridor circled around the whole top floor.  
"Met any Tits?" Oenomaus enquired in a low voice.  
"Two," I replied and held up as many fingers.  
"We got one," he said. "The others have been trying the doors, working themselves inwards and downstairs. There's nothing more here to be seen. Let's follow them!"  
"Yes, there is," Nike said. "Behind this door." Two steps and the goddess of victory was over by a closed iron door with two crossed lightnings and some Japanese lettering on the outside. She pulled the door open, breaking the lock with pure strength, and waved us over.

"Communications centre," she said. "Now we should've had someone with electrokinetic powers here who could destroy this thing without making any noise the way machine guns will inevitable do."  
"Strange that anyone haven't sounded any alarms yet," I replied. "Do you really believe that we are still undiscovered?"  
"I'm not sure," Kyknos replied. "It does seem suspicious."  
"Guys, let's not worry about that now, let's take this installation apart instead." Nike replied.  
"Some white noise while you shoot perhaps?" Oenomaus suggested.  
"Can you fix that?" Nike raised a brow.  
"Certainly." The son of Ares nodded and as he made a movement his brother took out his gun and placed a bullet in the mainframe. And it was as if the gun had had a silencer, no quieter than that, I heard neither the shot nor the impact.

With a grin both Nike and I brought out our guns and followed through with firing a round each in the equipment which went out as blown-out candles on a birthday cake. It was almost like being down on Third Level again, the silence was eerie. But I shrugged it off as we exited the tiny room and Nike closed the door again. Just in time, two new Titans came running at us, calling out and ready to shoot. But Kyknos and I were faster and placed one bullet in each of them, this time the shots were audible. Down the foes went and we sprinkled some more stealth potion over them before Nike made a down gesture with her hand saying:  
"Let's continue downstairs, I'm sure that's where the action is."  
"Can't wait for it," I replied and we walked around a corner and started to descend a staircase in a hall which was as abandoned as the rest of the level we just left.

But as soon as we came down two floors, the real battle started. A group of eight or nine Titans came running at us, persecuted by Castor, Xantos and Androkles, who didn't manage to kill them with their bullets, so Nike, Oenomaus, Kyknos and I engaged them with swords instead, and then the other gods were there and helped us.  
"You started the party before we got here!" Kyknos said and ran his blade trough one enemy. "What kind of buddies is that?"  
"Well, if you're not on time, so..." Xantos mocked with a grin.  
"Good to see you," Castor cut in, not in the mood for joking. "They were heading for the transmitter, were going to call for reinforcement."  
"That try had been in vain anyway, we just destroyed the transmitter," I replied.  
"If there weren't more of the kind," Androkles said.  
"There seldom are," Nike pointed out. "Titans've never been good at backup systems."

"Now, this way," Castor said and turned and we followed him down one more level, and there the combat was in full swing, with several of us fighting a force twice as large. And still no alarm had been sounded. Then it hit me, some of our guys had probably incapacitated that one. Without thinking anymore we all engaged, and then we fought some sweaty twenty minutes, while more Titans arrived from other corners and we became reinforced as well. When the dust finally settled there were about 50 Titans dead on the ground, and once more we Olympians were no more than scratched. And still confused since this couldn't have been any kind of head quarter after all. It was too badly defended and too empty of anything of real importance. Where did the real Titan main force hide?  
"So now what?" Palaistra shrugged. "Are we done here?"  
"Any more Titans around?" Keiko asked.  
"I sense nobody," Pollux said, and he was after all best at these things.  
"Where's Ares?" Nike asked. "And Penthesileia, Phobos and my sister?"

The next second we received a communal mindcall from Bia: _This is just the top level. This thing go way down underground. And it seems to be connected to other places as well. This is the real thing, ladies and gentlemen. So we're going to need enforcements. Ares! Your orders! _


	18. Shadows of the Apocalypse

**Shadows of the Apocalypse**

Ares' reply became brief and informative. He ordered us all to go downstairs save for Pherax and Theosoris, who were going up instead. They were to call for the other Olympian war groups, telling them to come here as fast as possible, about five from each group. No stealth this time, no mortal disguises or airplanes, just gods flying in, and screw the Japanese radar. We'll have to figure out a working cover story later. Nike raised some protests along the line that 'Athena wouldn't...' and Bellona told her that Athena would probably take care of any reasonable cover-up herself rather than discussing the subject. Not long after did we descend even deeper down, wondering where Ares, Penthesileia, Phobos and Bia had ended up. On the way down we met some more Titans whom we defeated, but not that many. As I flung one big brute over the railing of the staircase and down in the shaft, I got the certain feeling that it actually was the main force which we had gotten rid of upstairs.

We finally met our leader and the other three, when we had reached two more levels down, seeing not a single Titan, and arrived into what appeared to be some kind of gear shop behind a broken-apart iron door. Ares came and acknowledged us, and then he started to describe the layout of this place:  
"What Bia and Pherax scouted yesterday was apparently just the tip of the iceberg. What we've now have found out is that this edifice seems to be connected to other places trough subterranean tunnels. We've discovered a tunnel which appears to be some 350 miles long and seems to be ending somewhere down beneath Korea. There's some kind of railway running there which is heading for the other side. How many Titans did you take out up there?"  
"Some seventy," Deimos responded.

"Should've been the double," Ares said. "Now we can only assume that these Titans are either elsewhere underground or up on the Earth surface somewhere, perhaps plotting against some other mortal goal to strike. Meanwhile we've made this discovery, which has come as a complete surprise, but which might mean the breakthrough we've spent centuries striving for. So we soon decided against returning up and instead getting the other Olympians down here and then try to head for the heart. Athena will probably be less found of the idea, she might want to withdraw and plan, but I'd say 'go for it'. The element of surprise will still work to our advantage since we can safely assume that there was no Titan who escaped and returned back inside the tunnel network. All Titans we found are dead."  
"And nobody on top survived either," Nike confirmed. "Plus that we destroyed the radio transmitter."  
"How about magic transmissions?" Oenomaus asked and Nike rolled her eyes.  
"No magic transmissions from dead people, lad!"  
"Uh yeah, right," Oenomaus shrugged.  
"So let's get ready for a tunnel trip!" Ares ordered.

"We're with you, Dad!" Kyknos called out and the little bit more sensible Penthesileia asked how the heck the Titans might've get a train down here.  
"Built it of course!" Ishiro scoffed.  
"I didn't think they were capable of such a deed," Kyknos replied.  
"After World War Two and after the Korean and the Viet Nam wars a lot of Asians disappeared." Ishiro explained. "Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Russians, Mongolians and others. As well as some Americans and Europeans. No one assumed other than they had become war victims. But I'm beginning to think that they were actually kidnapped by Titans. Used for building tunnels like this."  
"Ain't the first time that happens," replied Palaistra.  
"Yeah, they're slavers, that race," Xantos said.  
"I told you guys, Aidra was bringing luck," Hekate said at the same time and came over and hugged me. I hugged back, moved by her affection. "A breakthrough! Who would've thought that only half a year back, when it all seemed so hopeless, and we were struggling on with the Scimitar project?"

"We're not certain about the breakthrough yet," Ares replied dryly and looked around at our group of twenty seven gods. "But my gut feeling has not been better in a long time!"  
"Aresian gut feeling oh my! Brother of mine, don't discourage us!" Bellona called out and made a mock-dramatic gesture with the back of her hand across the forehead.

During our talk Akheloios, Keiko and Saxa had found water and filled up some unused bowls and the next moment they brought out soap and textile rags and we all got a chance to wash ourselves at least roughly. Really needed because most of us were covered in Titan blood and other fluids as well, our once white jumpsuits turned into canvases of terror. So to just be able to wash off the face and the hands was bliss! Then ration bars appeared and the mood went up a peg more.

Now Pherax mindcalled, telling us that Hercules was on his way with six of his gods and that Athena and her crew were readying themselves as well.  
"How soon?" Ares asked and Pherax let us know that Hercules' team could be here within twenty minutes and Athena within an hour.  
"Athi's such a lazy bum!" Ares said, not without twinkle in his dark eyes. Then he started to organize again. Most of us were going to scout ahead down that tunnel. The ones staying behind, Ililathea, Lysandros, Nike and Castor were going to investigate this Titan lair and then Castor and Nike would lead Hercules' and Athena's teams towards us. Finally the God of War made sure we were armed well and finally he sent us off.

Phobos and Bia had done some investigation further down in the tunnel and they had found a kind of vehicle which could pass for a train if you weren't overly picky. It was really nothing more than a single engine coach and we sure had to pack it full to be able to go all of us. But riding that 'train' instead of flying or speeding was the only possible way to avoid giving away energy signatures of divine movement, thus this vehicle would give us at least a chance to sneak up on the Titans. In that sense one might say I got to experience the famous Tokyo rush hour subway.

Lysandros had jury-rigged the engine so the train could run even if we didn't know the starting sequences, so off we went, waving good-bye to the quartet left behind, orbs of magic light leading the way. Pollux had found a boom box and somehow managed to kick start some music, starting off with some grinding wet-core until Penthesileia told him to stop torturing our ears.  
"You can use that on the Titans later, I bet they'll hate it!" the amazon said.  
"Doing the Guantanamo stunt?" Bia chuckled.  
"So what do Titans listen to? Julio Iglesias?" Oenomaus asked.  
"Beats me, no pun intended." Pollux shrugged.

Not bothering with listening to their idle chatter I concentrated on scrutinizing this tunnel instead. It did indeed look like it had been built several decades ago, adding value to Ishiro's guess about the disappeared mortals - that they might've been used as slave labourers down here. The tunnel was bricked and circular, rusty iron bars strengthening it in the ceiling, and gravels and puddles of water covering the floor where the railing went. Here and there the walls were missing bricks and in some places there were itty bitty stalactites hanging from the roof. Sometimes our train wagon passed through water, wetting us all, which was pretty funny the first times but soon began to become annoying. The tunnel looked far from being in shape, with a lot of mortar missing between the bricks and I got a horrid feeling about the roof coming in, trapping us here. Nevertheless, if that was about to happen we could make it out, using divine power, that much did I knew. For Olympians nothing seemed impossible save for taking out all those Neotitans without killing the planet in the process. And then what good would that do? I remembered Hekate telling me how the original Titan War had almost rendered humanity extinct, destroying large parts of the planet including flowering civilizations like Atlantis and Mu. That was a mistake to not repeat.

I had ended up sitting squeezed in between Ishiro and Aleata with my feet upon a box of full metal jacket ammo and my lap full of weapons. Not comfortable, but I was able to close my eyes a bit, letting myself doze off to the sound of the humming engine and Ishiro and Androkles' discussion about martial arts forms I've never heard about before. Somehow I must have fallen asleep, because I dreamt, and in the dream I was back in the police corps again, sitting by my old desk in that worn old office landscape of the station, sun falling in through dirty windows and painting squares on dusty floors and furnishing. In the dream I was talking to a man sitting opposite me, a man who turned out to be Apollo. What he was saying was important. He took my hand and told me to be careful, and then my chair gave way under me and I fell - only to become jerked awake.

"We're almost there now," Ares informed us, so we began to ready ourselves, preparing for disembarking. Grabbing guns and blades. Taking guesses about what we might encounter, and how many of the enemy. When I looked around, I noted that the narrow tunnel had been traded in for a large cavity which looked less man built, with stalactites and stalagmites all over, the only exception was the shallow deepening where the railroad tracks ran. Soon we came to a halt and all of us began to get off, except for Pollux who was supposed to drive the train back again and pick up the others when they arrived.  
"No Titans around," commented Kyknos and his father nodded.  
"Perhaps not here, but I can sense them deeper into the mountain. Come on!" Ares ordered.

"Will the others find us?" Aleata asked.  
"Don't worry, they will," Ares confirmed.

"Do we split up?" Bia wanted to know.  
"Not this time," Ares said and pointed more or less straight ahead with a sword-carrying hand. "I sense Titans ahead of us in that direction, so it's only reasonable that we all take that way. Let's go, I can't wait to see what we'll find down here."

According to Ares' orders, the nineteen of us began to march off in said direction, stealthing mildly, all of us feeling the fighting spirit awakening again as our warpath took us even further down underground. The large cavity we had arrived in and the first part of the tunnel had been empty, but in this tunnel we soon encountered a group of marching Titans, carrying guns and blades as well as pulling chariots with large canvases on.  
"Machinery," said Hekate who had read their thoughts. "Parts to build another train."  
"But no workers," Xantos said. "And my gut feeling tells me it's not Tits who's gonna build the vehicle but captured humans!"

The next second Ares ordered us to engage, and he didn't have to say that twice. With a war cry we were over them and slaughtered half the force before they even knew what had hit them. Since they were only about thirty the fight was over within a few seconds. I only got one or two kills, shooting them in the chest and to be true the Titans didn't even get their guns out.

Leaving the carnage behind, we headed forward into the same direction and not encountering more than some stray Titans who met the same fate as the ones before. Then, just as we were beginning to fear we were walking in the wrong direction, we saw lights coming from other sources than our own magic orbs. Not long after we entered the most monstrous cavity you can imagine. It was large enough to fill five Manhattan and then there was some 2500 feet up to the cave roof. The grotto even seemed to contain its own biosphere with a warmer climate than in the tunnels and with clouds up in the top of the cavity. On the bottom, in the middle, stretched a large, seemingly deep underground sea, fed by a waterfall some hundred metres from the place where we had arrived. A waterfall which made the Niagara seems like a trickle. And what more - there was this artificial sun burning from the roof, a great, orange orb shining across the whole immense area.

Needless to say there were a lot of gasps and exclamations being voiced around me. I couldn't help uttering a profanity.  
"This is it!" Ares said. "I'm betting my best sword that we have found what we've been searching for so long. The Titan lair. Or at least the Asian Headquarter!"  
"So now what?" asked Hekate next to me. "I mean, look at all those buildings! If the Titans have about the same demands as the humans when it comes to living space, I guess this cavity houses some five million of individuals. Not fighters all of them of course, but a lot of civilians as well. Young people, old people - Ares, you can't honestly mean that we take on all those inhabitants. Not even when the others arrive. And nuking them is not an option, since we don't know how it might affect the surroundings."  
"You're right of course," Ares agreed. "We need to discuss this thoroughly before we do anything about it. I had expected to perhaps find a military camp. Not a - city. I'm not in favour of striking against civilians - yet."  
"Well, they haven't exactly left our civilians alone," Deimos replied his father.  
"No matter, we won't descend to their level." Ares said. "It's below us plus it's predictable."

"It's not really that predictable since they still believe they are hidden from the world," a voice was heard from behind. "Let's rattle their bones a bit!"  
"Athena!" Hekate's voice as 12 heads were turned. (The rest of us were still looking ahead, never letting concentration slip.)  
"The very same," Ares' sister said and walked up to the boulders we had taken cover behind. She didn't come alone, but was flanked by Anacreon and Aventinius, I sensed their approach, even before they greeted the rest of us.  
"How did you make it here so fast, and where are the rest?" Phobos wondered.  
"They're on the way. I and the Italian brothers went ahead to see what it was you really did discover."  
"So what do you make out of this?" Ares asked and nodded towards the cavity, as if it wasn't obvious enough what he meant.  
"It's a Titan dwelling, finally," Athena said, zipping up her camouflage patterned jacket against the chill.  
"I mean what should we do, because we can't just attack the place," Ares wanted to know. "Shall we kill them by poisoning their water reservoir, cave in the place or just let it be?"

Athena rested in silence for a while, then she said:  
"There's probably about six millions living down there. Roughly the population of Ireland. They might be Titans but it's insane to kill them all nevertheless. I think we should give them a warning instead, let them know that we have found them, and that we can take them out if they don't refrain from attacking human targets. Show them the shadows of the apocalypse! See that bridge over there? Let's destroy it! After that we'll send them a warning, telling that this is just a little demonstration of what we can do. That we can go larger scale if they don't stop bothering the human realm."  
"So how do we do it?" Androkles asked. "Do some of us go down and...?"

He was cut off by a blast of high voltage energy flashing from that sun thingie in the sky and like a flare it hit down and blasted the bridge Athena had indicated, searing it in two and crashing a major part of it down in the water, pillars and pylons tumbling and sending up cascades of water while mental screams were reaching our sensitive, divine brains. That flare just killed several hundred Titans.  
"The..." Oenomaus began as Athena lowered her arm, a stern look upon her face.  
"Just a little example of what we can do to them if they don't refrain from coming against us." Zeus' daughter said, he voice grim. "Now we're more equal than ever. The Titans can't hold the mortal population as a shield against us anymore because now we finally have access to THEIR civilians. Now we just have to be good little terrorists and send them a message in which we claim responsibility for the destroyed bridge."

"How? I mean, it's not like we have a phone to call." Androkles said.  
"We need to do two things," Athena replied. "There has to be military bases not far from here. I'd say when the rest of us arrive we destroy them as well, and all the Titans there within. This will gain us two things: One - it'll be harder for the Titans to revenge their deaths by striking at for instance South Korean targets, which are after all just above here. Two - it leaves this place more or less defenseless, so they have to keep looking over their shoulder for us over the nearest months. That will freak them out and keep them busy for a while. Therefore we can use the time to look for more places like this, which I have no doubt we'll find. Ares? What do you say?"  
"Let's show them the shadows of the Apocalypse!" the God of War agreed. "Where are those bases?"  
"Aventinius!" Athena turned to the blond Italian. "Find them!"  
"Aye," the god replied, closed his eyes and concentrated.

Meanwhile more gods started to appear. There were the rest of Athena's assigned forces as well as Hercules and his crew. And then Castor, Pollux, Nike, Lysandros, Ililathea and Theosoris turned up, the latter went over and whispered something to Ares with a serious expression upon his dark-skinned face. Ares glanced over in our direction with a harsh and unreadable expression. Then he talked a bit more to Theosoris before he rose from his kneeling position and came over to Hekate who was sitting next to me.

"Kathy, can you come with me for a moment," The War God asked and my friend saw the seriousness of his expression and stood up without saying anything, brushing red sand from her cargo pants. Ares led the way over to where Paradox and Saxa were sitting by a large machine gun, and talked a while with them too. Paradox rose and followed and they all went back to the Tunnel entrance. Theosoris also went after them and there in the shadows they talked for a lengthy amount of time with serious faces. Then Hekate suddenly started screaming, with her hands pressed tight to her lips and crumbling together as if someone had landed a fist in her solar plexus. And Palaistra showed more or less the same reaction as her mother.

Bellona turned to me with a pale expression, saying:  
"Pherax! He wasn't with Theosoris. Something must have happened to Paradox' twin!"  
"You think...?" my eyes darted back to where Ares was holding his ex-girlfriend who obviously was in tears. Bellona simply nodded.  
"This means..." Ishiro begun. "I mean, it's already war, but aren't there any more bridges Athena can destroy?"  
"Yes, but what more, there's three military fortresses surrounding this cave city." Aventinius replied dryly. "Let's take them all out, as Athena said. And then let's tell them that the next time it's their kindergartens we'll blast."  
"Why 'next time'?" Anacreon interjected. "Why wait?"  
"Because we need something to treat them with as well." Bellona replied. "Now we have told then 'we know where you live'. If they get the message they back off. If not – well THEN we'll blast the baby cribs as well."

Meanwhile Ares returned with Hekate and Paradox, the latter's earlier so flamboyant hair had turned all slate coloured and was hanging straight down, lifeless looking. Theosoris trailing a bit behind and stopping to talk to Nendra and Oenomaus from Athena's team.  
"Are you sure, Kathy?" Ares asked, "I mean isn't it easier if you and Doxxie go home instead?"  
"No," Hekate replied with a stern face. "No, Ares, I won't rest until I know I've done everything in my might to avenge my son. He was a god! He wasn't supposed to die!"  
"Mother, he knew what he did. We all do!" Paradox said, while tears streamed down her face. "Now, let's go in there and kick Titan asses!"  
"Hekate, Paradox," Ares begun and placed one large hand upon each of their shoulders. "Do as you seem fit, but don't let the grief overtake you. Fight with your head and not with your hearts! Or we might get more causalities here. Believe me, revenge is bad ammo."  
"Roger that," Paradox replied, her voice empty. "You said it before, you know. And it's a shitty excuse, but I'm not returning to Florida. Not now. Let's go take those fortresses, wherever they are!"

"Someone ought to inform Xalenthe," Ililathea pointed out and Athena turned to her:  
"I'll talk to my daughter when this is over." As I heard Athena's ashen voice I remembered that Pherax had been married to Xalenthe.

O0O0O

Ares, Athena and Hercules had split us up in groups of ten, one group for every fortress and then a handful of us were left to guard this exit point. Athena also composed a message for us to enter into whatever communication system we might find, a message telling who had destroyed the bridge and that we intended to take out more of the Titan city if not the Titans refrained from striking out against the human population. I became paired with Saxa, Phobos, Theosoris, Paradox, Oenomaus, Androkles, Bellona, Ishiro and Keiko and with Phobos as our team leader. Heading for the second closest base, which was located some sixteen miles from here, we set off in a counterclockwise direction. That became quite a marsh since we were ordered to not use any magic powers to travel, but just our legs. All right, those were divine, but that meant only that we could marsh slightly faster than ordinary mortals.

Halfway there we thought we had got lucky because we found an abandoned bus parked by the side of the dirt road we were marching down. But the bus had been abandoned for a very obvious reason, it was broken. Oenomaus and Androkles had a try at fixing it, but Androkles soon informed us that there were run down parts in need to be replaced before we could even think of using this vehicle. So soon we were walking again, singing some stupid song about how much the Titans really sucked. I glanced back at Paradox, Ares had apparently assigned Bellona to look after Hekate's daughter, but I was worried about my friend as well. Her face was pale and grim and her cheeks were clamped shut, she didn't partake in the song, but I could see the fire burning from her black eyes, a fire which said more than a thousand derogates.

About an hour later we were standing on a steep slope looking down at the Titan camp. With its barb-wired fencing and high walls crowned with watch towers with defensive weaponry in, it looked just like any human military camp Earthside. It could even pass for a deja-vu of the lair we had attacked in Japan a few hours back. Phobos did some calculating in his mind and then he said:  
"I'll go with Theosoris, Paradox, Bellona and Aidra to the right and the rest of you go to the left. There are two weak points, one back door for you guys and the front door for us. You sneak in, we blast in and we'll create so much commotion that they'll miss you. Fire at will! Kill as many as you can, and find the stores of ammunition and gasoline and set those on fire. That'll sure unleash hell. Theosoris, Aidra, I want the two of you to concentrate upon finding a communication centre and get that message off. And from the moment we get discovered, feel free to use any magic!"

Then we were off, Phobos blasting the front entrance with a rocket grenade from that big cannon he carried upon his shoulder as if it weighed nothing. The God of Fear followed up with a war cry that could have woke up all those soldiers who died in the Korean war some miles up from here, and before we knew it we were in. This assault sure managed to catch the Titans with their panties down. Literally in some cases even. Still these were good soldiers and they were soon organized and shooting back. To the right of me Phobos was blasting jeep-like vehicles with his rocket cannon and to the right of me Paradox and Bellona were dealing out death blows with swords and machine guns. I, in turn, was covering Theosoris as he searched for the signs of a communication system.

"Ahead," he soon called out and I started following him inside a large, four story building. It surprised me how much the Titan architecture remained of our own. This house, a yellow bricked building, could as well be found in the outskirts of New York city. Still there were little differences there, like everything being bigger to fit the Titan size of course, but also were the door-handles vertical instead of horizontal and most ceilings being slightly rounded. Then the colour schemes reminded us that most Titans were colour-blind, there were hardly any greens or reds to be seen. Most signs seemed to be in blue and yellow or black and yellow, carrying signs in that Titan language which reminded me of a blend between the Cyrillic alphabet and the elven writings of Lord of the Rings.

"Do you understand their language?" I asked Theosoris as we crashed into the building followed by Paradox and Bellona.  
"Sure!" the black god replied and took the lead up a flight of broad stairs, while we were killing Titans to the right and to the left.  
"Hey guys!" Paradox called out as we entered the second floor and was met with a horde of Titans armed to their teeth. "Be ready for a fluke. I'm gonna turn this place upside down, but it's only an illusion. Hang on, and just keep going as before!"

The next moment we were running in the ceiling with our heads down and the Titans meeting us lost their footing and crashed to the ground (upwards!) and became easy targets. We got most of them that way while following Theosoris up to the next level. When the next horde came against us Paradox turned the house right again and then she kept on doing her thing all the way up to the place where Theosoris had located the communication centre. Behind us staircases changed from up to down, doors appeared and disappeared again and corridors twisted and turned back upon themselves, effectively losing every persecutor. I sure felt like I had fallen down the rabbit hole! (One gargantuan rabbit hole to be true.) Finally Theosoris put his foot to a bolted door and crashed it in. No elegant magic used here, just rough strength followed by two bullets, one for each Titan hiding in the large office. Outside an explosion shook the whole building, apparently some of ours had either found and blasted the petrol storage or set off a motherfucker of a bomb somewhere.

Theosoris rushed up to what appeared to be a monitor, pushed away the dead Titan body and started to use what roughly resembled a computer keyboard, although this was squared, (or rather roundish) and held quite a bit fewer keys than the human equivalents, instead there were some levers you could pull. However the god seemed well conversant with the keyboard and how to operate this computer equivalent, so he started working on it immediately.  
"Make sure no one comes through the door," he ordered us.  
"No prob', they can't find it anymore," Paradox replied. "Aidra, Bella, take a rest while Theo and I do the job!"

I nodded and started unpacking my backpack, taking out water and ration bars and begun distributing them. Theosoris taking his without actually seeing it, spilling half of the water on the desk and the floor without appearing to bother.  
"I'm in!" he curtly informed us instead, as another explosion detonated outside, and blasting the window glass, having both me and Bellona ducking. Theosoris though was too busy hacking to bother with flying glass, he just kept on working. Outside we heard Titans bellowing at each other and running to and from in the corridor.  
"I trapped them out there," Paradox smirked. "They can't find this room or the way out of the corridor!"  
"You're evil," I grinned back.  
"Thanks, hun!" Paradox replied.

While the place was falling apart around us, Theosoris kept hacking.

"What are you doing?" I asked him. "Sure you must have sent that message off now!"  
"Yes, but there's some more things I gotta do."  
"Like what?"  
"Show them the shadow of the apocalypse for real. A nice little virus!"  
"Do we have time for it?"  
"You can get out of here if you like, I'll manage."

"It's not like we're going to leave you, Theo," I exclaimed.  
"Does Phobos know about this?" Bellona asked at the same time. "After all your orders were to send that message and then get out of here!"  
"Girls!" Theosoris said. "Go or stay if you like! I found some interesting things up in Japan when we went through that base. And I intend to use them. The Titans are going to tremble before the wrath of the Hacker God. And then Phobos can say whatever he likes. I'm bound to find that mainframe and I'm going to hack it!"  
"I'm staying with you, Theo!" Paradox replied. "For Pherax!"  
"For Pherax," Theosoris replied and then he begun typing like a madman.


	19. Mainframe of Babylon

**Mainframe of Babylon **

_A/N: The Louvre painting 'The Skipper' does not exist for real.  
__The tsunami in Japan is an actual event from 2011, I imagine you remember it.  
__**Anaxymenos, Palladeon, Oreiro, Navanthe**_ _and_ _**Taranor**__ are characters made up for this story_

Phobos didn't bother with the door, he came right through the window, and he sure looked like fear itself at that moment. His clothes were in rags and he was covered with blood and other gory fluids, his face was sooty and his normally so neat hairdo rivaled that of Edward Scissorhands.  
"We're done here, we're retreating," he ordered us. Saxa was right behind him, with her back against us and shooting downwards at some Titans still defending the camp. As Bellona started to obey Theosoris pretended as if he hadn't heard and kept on hacking like crazy.  
"Theo!" Bellona snapped at him. "You heard the boss!"  
"And you heard me earlier, I'm taking this baby down!" Theosoris replied.  
"What is he doing?" Phobos asked a bit at loss.  
"Destroying some major computer somewhere." I replied. "Infecting it with a virus."

"Aidra, we don't have time for that kind of nonsense!" Phobos said and tore a dirty hand through his hair, messing it up even more. Then he turned to Theosoris again, "Hey, you heard me, we're retreating. We're done here."  
"Go ahead, I'm not, I'm staying."  
"Theosoris, NOW!" Phobos ordered. The hacker hardly looked up.  
"I'm staying with him, " Paradox said.  
"NO! You hear me, let's GO!" Phobos bellowed.  
"How much longer do you need?" said Saxa, who had stopped shooting and now turned towards Phobos and Theosoris.  
"Perhaps five minutes, perhaps ten. It's not like I'm in any danger if you have taken all those people out."  
"All of them save for those Doxxie closed up inside of the house," Bellona said and nodded her head towards the commotion outside the door.

"And we are leaving, and you are coming if I'll have to drag you with me, you heard me, Theosoris!" Phobos growled.  
"He's right," Bellona said. "This is war and in a war you do obey your commander or it'll all start falling apart. This is no free-lance adventure!"

At that moment Theosoris looked up:  
"On one condition."  
"This is not a place for 'conditions'," Phobos snapped.  
"I said I'm staying with him, we can get out of here when he's done!" Paradox insisted.  
"NO!" Phobos said and I knew he was right. We had to obey orders and on top of that Paradox was not stable after the loss of her twin. She hadn't been the strongest of souls to start with, her chaos magic powers made her a bit vulnerable, and now she was supporting Theosoris who was a known rebel, although excellent at what he was doing. So I simply decided to act, and took my gun and blasted the computer to cinders.

"Aidra, what the f..." Theosoris began, staring at me in anger-mixed surprise as the equipment in front of him was hissing and popping with shortcut electricity and black smoke was bellowing around him.  
"Yes, you didn't listen. Now let's get out of here!" I snapped back.

O0O0O

"So can you perhaps get in there again?" Oenomaus asked Theosoris.  
"Perhaps, and it would've been the finest hack hadn't that stupid Aidra ruined it all." Theosoris snarled and looked at me with dark eyes.  
"Listen, Theo, you might've been forced before the war tribunal, hadn't Aidra acted when she had," Nemesis groaned. "She saved your fat ass, begin appreciating that!"  
"War tribal?" I heard myself ask, as I still kept my wary eyes on the angered hacker.  
"Tribunal," Nemesis corrected me. "As in martial court. Last time that happened was when Axton refused to abide to Athena's order about taking down those Titans in Sarajevo who caused the World War One. You don't want to be on the receiving end on such an accusation, Theo, right?"

"I sure didn't kill a royalty," Theosoris replied.  
"No, but Axton's deed was seemingly as clever as yours." Nemesis bit back. "The problem was that he didn't obey orders and thus the whole plan became fucked up! And we ended up with the second worst war ever! He didn't plan it, no one expected it. But Athena told him otherwise, she ordered him to abort the mission and he didn't obey."  
"This is far from the same thing, I could've..." Theosoris begun.  
"We don't know that at all!" Cloë said.  
"No, because you've never bothered learning, but I know what Theo can do, I've seen it before," Oenomaus replied.  
"Yes, on human 'puters no doubt," Xantos was protesting. "Now we're talking Titan ones, that's a completely different ilk. Steampunk gadgets if I should go by what these things look like. "

"Enough!" Athena cut in with an angered voice. "Theosoris, I appreciate your effort, but you were under Phobos' command and as such, you were obliged to obey his order. We've been having this discussion earlier, in more academic surroundings. But now, when we're facing the real thing, we cannot discuss and debate here, we have to follow the basic rules of war."  
"Athena, isn't you the one who have always told us to think for ourselves?" Anacreon cut in.  
"But this was not exactly the moment." Athena replied. "We couldn't have Theosoris delaying the whole operation. We had to be ready more or less simultaneously. Besides, we are the Olympians, we don't go out and leave a comrade behind!"  
"But I said I'd..." Paradox began but Athena cut her off:  
"I comprehend and I feel your loss. We all do. Pherax was a great god and a good friend. An awesome son in law. Therefore we will all miss him. But to honour his memory we have to continue with this war the right way, or we'll blow it. And his death might've been in vain."

"Now everyone's back, let's go!" Ares called out while Bia, Deimos and Kyknos arrived as the last back markers, no less filthy and gory than any of us. "Forget about the train, we're flying out through the Korean shaft which Athena discovered, and then we're reassembling at Hercules' place in Paris! We'll discuss this hacker attack when we get there! Every single Olympian out NOW! On the double!"

O0O0O

The disaster hit as we left. We became followed by a large Titan force who intercepted us armed with wicked magic while we were crossing the Pacific. When we tried to shake them, Athena, Ares and Alexander deployed an aegis to deflect what they were hurling at us. One of these things was a terrible, dimension warping ray which hit against the aegis and reflected off it so that it shivered and sparkled, then the ray was shooting right down in the waters below. When it impacted with the surface it created a maelstrom of the worst kind, which seemed to wanting to suck down the entire ocean into the core of the ground, and the whole planet shook. It was among the most horrible things I've seen. The next second the gods let down the aegis again and instead lashed out against the Titans and blasted them to pieces. When I looked down at the ocean surface, I found that it had returned to normal, looking like nothing strange at all had happened. But Athena was regarding those green-blue waves with a worried face, while uttering a profanity.

"What?" Phobos asked.  
"A nine plus earthquake. We'll have a tsunami! I need to get Poseidon, he'll have to do some damage control." Then Athena concentrated and mindspoke the god of the sea. But when the goddess was done she was pale in her face as she shook her head: "Too late, he's in the Aether, he's not going to make it in time. Japan is doomed!"  
"You mean?" I paled.  
"I can't tell how bad the damages will be but those islands will suffer that tsunami with terrible consequences. I should have deployed the aegis differently, having it absorb some of these energies instead of just deflecting them. Or perhaps deflecting it out in the air."  
"There was no way you could have known, Athi!" Ares tried to comfort his sister. "You did your best."  
"But it was not good enough," Athena cursed with a devastated look upon her beautiful face. "Now we can only hope Poseidon get here fast, and hopefully with some help as well."

"And we? Shan't we help the Japanese people?" I asked.  
"No, we're too worn, won't be able to do anything of consequence." Ares replied. "Let's contact some of Hebe's and Asklepios people instead. They can take care of the rescues in need to be done. We will continue to Paris!"

O0O0O

Hercules' Paris home sure was magnificent. It was located in Montmartre, a large two floor penthouse with an impressive terrace with the almost cliché view of the Eiffel Tower. While Ares' Manhattan apartment was modern, minimalistic and airy, Hercules' was a crammed blend of all the ages of mankind, from Minoan styled wall paintings to a state-of-the-art home media surround system, and then everything between, over Roman helmets and Chinese cupboards to Renaissance Earth globes which doubled as liqueur boxes, surreal paintings, martial banners, Native American feather headdresses, African masks and drums and Viking drinking horns. And more LP records than the BBC. I sure felt like I could spend hours just walking around looking at all the things this old son of Zeus had gathered. However, now was not the time for that. Now it was an after-battle war council to be held. We needed to discuss what we had done right and what had gone wrong. The earthquake and the tsunami which had hit Japan was certainly one of the latter, the sad and terrible loss of Pherax was another. Hekate and Paradox were sitting close huddled together, looking outright devastated now when the battle adrenaline had worn off and reality had caught up with - or rather crashed right down upon them.

Seeing them I was remembering the scary lady from the Third Level Japan. She who had warned us when we reached the former Ski Resort from where the Titans had arrived: _Go back where you came from Olympians! Go back, you do not belong here. Remember this, one of you may not live to see the next New Year. This is the caveat you must head! Stay away from Japan!_ I looked at Phobos and I saw in his dark eyes that he remembered too, where he sat down opposite me by a dining room table which was turned into conference table for today. Hercules' war room was too small to hold all of us, since we were more than 50 people gathered in here.

The God of Fear looked neat and clean again, with his hair combed back in a ponytail and a new suit uniform. In fact we all looked better now, after having had the chance to shower and redress, and those wounded were now fully healed. Some nymphs had gone to the Tokyo ryokan where we had been staying and got our things, taking them here. Never thought I'd receive service like that! Now we all took seats, talking solicitously among us, while winding down. Nymphs were serving food and since many us were starving a lot was needed. I had found an empty chair next to Saxa, noting that she looked tired but content.

"We surely acquired something today," she said. "And not just the regular Titan bashing. I bet the Tits used to feel certain that we would never find their underground vistas, but today we proved them wrong. We showed that we can take them at their home ground, that we can get their civilians as well. That we can meet Egypt with - well, whatever that place was called."  
"Yes, but not without cost," said Medon who had sat down on the other side of Saxa. Next to him sat a god called Anaxymenos, a bulky son of Hercules who had not only lifted a truck-sized boulder in the air but also hurled it at some approaching Titans when he was out of ammo. Now the blond god was gorging up a tractor wheel sized pizza, but he stopped eating to reply:  
"It sure was sad, Pherax was a hero, and he will be remembered as such. I just hope this won't make any gods stop doing what's needed against the Tits."

"I'm not stopping at least," said Taranor, a son of Athena who was sitting next to Phobos and who was almost eating as much pizza as Anaxymenos. "Pherax was my brother in law and I'm one of those standing in line for revenge now."  
"We lost two gods last year, Valandor and Evanthe." said Keiko and looked down in her glass of wine. "And then Pherax this year. That's more than during the whole last century! I hope this isn't a trend."  
"Just bad accidents," replied Anaxymenos. "And if this finding of a Titan city means the breakthrough we have all hoped for, this war might be over sooner than we know it."  
"But it certainly wasn't worth a death of one of us," said Medon.  
"Never is," Xantos said and rose his head from his lunch.  
"But we will get revenge, right?" Alala, daughter of Polemos called out.  
"You bet your curvy ass," her cousin Nerio said.  
"Curvy ass! Look who's taking, the girl with..."  
"Shut it!" Kyknos ordered.

"Yet in a way losses were expected," Anacreon went on at the same time. "The war has moved up a level in intensity and consequently more of us are entering dangerous situations."  
"You're right, but losing a comrade is always a mother of a pain. And should be avoided with all means." Anaxymenos responded.  
"Seems we have to be better at cover each other's asses as this conflict escalates," Alala said as she helped herself to more wine.

Now Heracles rose and called for attention, taking the chance to welcome all of us to his home and urging us to eat, eat, eat! As if he wasn't seeing Anaxymenos, Taranor, Androkles and a few others. Then he handed over the word to Ares, who rose and looked around the table before saying:  
"First of all, I'm more than sorry because of what happened to Pherax. Apparently he and Theosoris got surprised while the latter was busy hacking a computer in the Neotitan stronghold outside Tokyo. And no, no blame on Theosoris here, how could he know that they would end up ambushed? It was a disaster, a tragedy, but this also mean we have to train even more at multilevel attention. Not letting the guard slip because being busy with something important, like fixing a gun or an engine. The good news is that we found this Titan stronghold, an unexpected success. We also got Athena's message sent through more than seven channels including what appears to be two major computer networks and a TV transmitting station, which was found by Penthesileia's crew. Good work my friends!"

A thundering applause followed before Ares went on:  
"Nobody is to take the disaster that hit Japan upon their shoulders of conscience. If anyone should be blamed it is the Titans once again. We were just defending mankind. We did our best. Nobody could've foreseen that weapon which created an earthquake of terrifying proportions, a tsunami and what might turn into a nuclear meltdown. I've just got the news that Pyrocles and Ausone are on their way to the reactor in Fukushima to stop another Chernobyl from happening." Ares stopped and turned to the hacker god. "Finally we have this hack which Theosoris begun but didn't get the chance to finish because we had to pull out. Now, I wonder, is there any chance to follow that one up?"

"Going back there you mean?" Theosoris asked.  
"No, that computer was destroyed after all," Bellona drily pointed out.  
"Perhaps it would be enough with returning to the Tokyo base," Athena suggested. "We have Alante, Kydoimos and Palladeon over there guarding the place now. Mostly keeping an eye on seismic after-shocks and reappearing Titans, but there should be no problem going back there."  
"Shall I?" Theosoris asked, almost standing up.  
"Yes, and take Oreiro and Navanthe with you!" Athena replied.

"And last but not least," Ares went on, "I've some good news from the home front. Romulus just called, telling me that he together with Proioxis, Palioxis, Aristaios and Akheloios has been rooting out the old Titan badass Promaximus, who was the leader of the organization trying to create a Titan bridgehead in the Americas. So I can assume there'll at least be less battle on American grounds in the future."

O0O0O

"It wasn't as easy as I thought," Theosoris said over the scrying link as he stood by the Titan computer flanked by Oreiro and Palladeon and Oreiro's daughter Zoë. Navanthe could be seen in the back, turned against the scrying mirror and busy setting a table.  
"How so?" Athena asked. Castor and Deimos were standing next to her and I was sitting a bit away together with a handful more looking in the main mirror which picture was split in three. One part was showing Athena, Castor and Deimos, the second showing Theosoris and on the third part the unfamiliar interface on the Titan computer screen was just coming in view to some random comments from us seeing it.  
"Angry Bird just called, they want their world back," Alala said and Penthesileia let up a snorting laughter.

"They have a kind of security thingie unlike what we have. Not passwords and such. We need to break five seals to get in."  
"And, can't you do that, Theo?" Athena asked.  
"No, because the seals are questions. Like a sphinx setup."  
"Riddles you mean?"  
"Yeah. And the answers are still out there. How many of you are still in Europe?"  
"Almost all of us remain in Paris," Castor replied. "Winding down. Some went shopping of course."  
"Good! Because one of you will be going to the Louvre." Theosoris told. "You're going to play Da Vinci code. But it's not Mona Lisa this time, but a much lesser known painting called 'The Skipper'. There's a sign on a tavern in that painting. I need to know what it says."

"Sounds easy enough," Athena said.  
"But that's just the first seal." Theosoris said. "I bet the others won't be that easy. Then again, this is the mainframe of Babylon we're trying to hack."  
"Babylon?" Athena rose a brow.  
"Yup, surprise, but this is the name of the nice little town which defense we just took out."  
"Babylon, hmm." Athena pondered. "Make sense, the first Babylon was originally a Titan town."  
"Any news from that Babylon?" Castor asked. "At least I want to know how they reacted when they learned that we hit them so hard."  
"Surprise. And fear." Palladeon answered.  
"Ought to be expected," the son of Zeus nodded.  
"Yeah, they're all running around there like scared chickens, planning everything from evacuating to closing down the tunnel through which we came."

"Any info about where they were evacuating?" Athena wanted to know.  
"Nothing that'll help." Oreiro said. "There was just names on cities. We've written them down just in case, but just like we never say where Paris or New York are located they don't say where Azazaen and Gomagorian are, they're just namedropping these places. "  
"But we'll remember those names nevertheless." Deimos said. "Might be useful in the future." Then he turned around and faced us:  
"Penthesileia, take Aidra and Androkles and go to the Louvre! It might be just checking a painting but I'd say better safe than sorry, they might guard their seals."  
"Aye!" Penthesileia said and rose and Androkles and I followed. Behind us we heard Castor ask about the other four seals.  
"I guess we'll getting them one after the other," Theosoris replied.

O0O0O

I had never been to the Louvre before, and just as with Tokyo did I wish I'd come there under better circumstances. Like on a holiday together with Apollo and with time enough for looking at whatever we might want to see. Then again, the museum was not going anywhere, I bet I'd come back sooner or later to say hi to Mona Lisa and all the rest. Now we were just going to look at ONE single painting and then be off again.

Androkles went up to the guest's terminals and located the painting while I got our admission tickets.  
"This way!" Androkles told and we went to the left and up two flight of stairs and further across several halls with art mostly from the early 20:th century. The museum wasn't exactly crowded and I surely had wanted to stop and look at a lot of the artworks we just rushed by, but we weren't here to entertain usselves, we had to find that Skipper.  
"Yeah, here we are!" Androkles said and we gathered in front of a 15 X 23 inch large painting hanging among several similar ones, all with naval motifs. The one we wanted showed a middle aged sea farer with gray beard and pipe in his mouth standing in a harbour somewhere, and behind him was an old stone building with a sign hanging over a door opening. The text was a bit hard to make out, but we all agreed that it was saying 'El Toro' - the bull. For some reason that made us giggle a bit. Then Penthesileia took out her phone and texted the magic words to Theosoris.

"Now let's..." the Amazon began. She stopped abruptly when we found that someone was shooting - and apparently at us! A shot was heard and a bullet whistled past and then another one. Acting upon mere instinct I reached for my own hand gun in its holster inside my leather jacket. Some divine cover magic had made it possible to pass the metal detectors without trouble. Then I hesitated, starting to fire gunshots inside the Louvre didn't exactly sound like a good idea. Androkles though started running in the direction where the shot had been heard from and then he stopped dead because through one door five burly Titans came running. But that was not the only bad news, a school class entered from another door. The next second, when the Titans started shooting at us the air became filled with the high-pitched sound of yelling children.

That evoke the cop inside of me and I ran towards the children, calling out:  
"Turn around, get out here NOW!" And for some reason I remembered to say it in French and to do it with my whole police authority. Arms outstretched and walking towards them I also used divine powers to radiate calm and to conjure up an aegis shielding to protect the children from stray bullets. The aegis was so-so to say the least and not very strong, a direct hit would probably not be stopped by my half-bad magic skills, I was still a newbie at these things. But I was an experienced cop and I had soon managed to direct the two teachers and the young ones out in another room while calls in ancient Greek and running feet told me that the trouble was moving elsewhere.  
"What was that?" One of the teachers asked and I knew I had to think fast. To buy some time I asked if everyone was all right and told the teachers to see to the children foremost.

One of the teachers, a woman, white in her face, looked like she could use some chock treatment as well, but the second one, about two decades older seemed more calm. She began to check with the children, telling them to sit down and rest. During those short seconds I had weaved a little story in my head which I delivered:  
"I'm Aidra Mandragore, with the American FBI. We're helping the French police with an international problem called Art Napping. Those men and women you saw in there and who were shooting at my colleagues were planning on takingone of the paintings here hostage and use it to bribe the French government and the Louvre for money.  
"Madonna! The Mona-Lisa?" the older teacher exclaimed.  
"Probably not her, she's too famous and too well protected. They wouldn't get too far with her. No, I think they were after something less high profiled but still worth the while."

"But how did they get in the guns?" the younger teacher asked after having composed herself a bit. "There were after all metal detectors down in the entrance which all must pass, even the kids."  
"Probably some back door. We fear they might have inside help. Now I need to call my supervisor about this, but you must promise me one thing."  
"Bien sur!" the teachers chored, at that time they looked like they could promise me Mona Lisa herself for having saved their wards. I looked around at the children, they were ranging from eight to ten was my guess. They were 'safe' enough for my try at covering it up.  
"Not a word to the press, please!" I asked them. "It will cause panic, and to no good, the Louvre will be in trouble and so will the French police, not to mention that those criminals will be a lot more harder to catch."

There were more bien-sur's from the teachers and then I took the phone and called Ares, telling quickly what had happened and asking for advice.  
"Are you all right, Aidra?" was the first thing the God of War asked.  
"I'm fine."  
"Where are the others?"  
"Not sure at the moment. They went after the Titans while I took care of these school children. I need to check that it's safe for them to leave the museum since I think they might not want to stay anymore today. But I need... can you fix something with the French police to cover up my story?"  
"Don't worry, I'll take care of that. Just make sure the mortals are safe and then find the others. Oh, and did you get the name on that bar in the painting?"  
"Sure, Leia texted it to Theosoris before this mess began. El Toro. The Bull."  
"Good! I just wonder what made the Titans... so suspicious."

O0O0O

"You got them all?" I asked.  
"No, one got away," Penthesileia said. "Had some magic wormhole to use and he was gone before we knew it. But the others are very much down under now."  
"Good."  
"Yeah but darn, I sure had wanted them all! Look here, they ruined my best vintage Prada!" Penthesileia pouted and showed her thumb through the bullet hole in her crimson dress down by the right hip.  
"Oh!" I gasped, but went on: "But don't you know that holes are the new black, Leia?"  
"Sure, but I don't want to look like a Goth chick. Not that I do feel rather emo at the moment."  
"Perhaps someone can fix it?"  
"But it won't be the same. I shouldn't have worn this today, but how could any reasonable Olympian guess that the Tits would be in the Louvre shooting at us?"  
"Deimos did!" I replied. "Otherwise you might as well have been in there alone with some thirty death scared school kids as well. Or perchance not even scared – just dead."  
"Yeah you did good taking care of them, Aidra." Penthesileia said as Androkles returned from his talk with the museum guards. He had given them the art napping story too.

"I guess we're finished here," he said. "Password found, Titans down and damage control done."  
"Was there anything harmed inside of the museum?" I asked.  
"Not some of the art thankfully," Androkles replied. "Now let's get home to father's."  
"Leia," I said and laid a hand upon the arm of the Amazon. "Why don't we go shopping tomorrow, see if we can find you a new dress."  
"Sure!" Penthesileia beamed up, "My credit card definitely needs to get out a bit more."

O0O0O

We met Ishiro upon our return, he was standing by a TV set in the lower hallway, regarding the pictures of the disaster in Japan with a terrifying expression and moisty eyes. In his right hand he held a crushed remote control and he sure looked like he wanted to smash the TV too.  
"Ishi?" Penthesileia asked with a worried look, placing a hand upon the shoulder of her brother. "Ishi, is there...?"  
"I'll get those who did this!" the son of Ares growled silently and throaty and shook off her soothing hand. "I'll get them and I'll make them pay! I'll make them suffer for what they have done to my country!"  
"We'll help you, I promise," Leia said, trying to catch his eyes, but they were glued to the TV which showed what had once been a little town, but was now just shattered ruins, which upturned cars and the rests of people's homes, shattered remnants of dreams. And in the middle of the debris, crushed souls searching desperately for beloved ones.

There was the crying young girl cuddling a kitten, there was the elderly man who had found a photo album in the rubble which has once been his home, there were the three teenagers huddling and hugging each other, crying their hearts out. All those painful images made me feel guilt as well as sorrow. I had been there, I had seen it happen, I had seen the spooky flares shooting out at us and hitting Athena's aegis and then the planet Earth, causing the quake and the freak wave. Athena or Ares had not been able to stop it and Poseidon had been on the other side of the Portal and came too late.

"We'll all go there!" I agreed silently.  
"No, I'll go alone. I'll have to."  
"No you don't," the Amazon insisted. "Because then you'll only die like poor Pherax. And then it'll be Keiko and Kumiko who cry. Will you put them through it, Ishi?"  
"How can you comprehend?" the Japanese snarled, and it was first now he seemed to realize that he was holding a destroyed remote control in his hand and he hurled the piece into the wall so it shattered completely, plastic shards and tiny electronics raining down onto the Persian carpet and jagging the wall paper.

"Yes I can, little brother!" Leia said and turned Ishiro towards her by placing two gentle hands on his shoulders. "Yes I do understand. I saw five Amazon tribes annihilated by a much larger force once. And not where they just warriors, they were brutes as well, killing fighters as well as elderly women and little children. Raping and maiming before killing. I saw one man forcing himself upon my five year old niece and then forcing her to give him a blow job. And while she was at it he sliced her head off, coming into a dead girl's severed head. And there was nothing I could do since I was held prisoner behind bars of Titanium."  
"Why did they... spare you?" Ishiro had finally taken his eyes from the screen.  
"They knew who I was, and they thought they could bargain with our father with my life in the pot."  
"And could they?"  
"No, father got them all. Killed them by stealth. Got me out. He helped me with revenge. That's what we do, we who are the Olympians. We help each other. That what's make us the strongest."

Ishiro didn't reply, he just nodded silently, his jet-black lashes glistening of tears.

O0O0O

"So what's the second seal?" Athena asked.  
"That's what I'm going to need help with." Theosoris said. "It's a riddle within a riddle!"  
"Okay, let's hear it!" the goddess of wisdom said and sipped on her wine. Bare feet on table and glass of wine in hand she looked very relaxed but I could tell that her brilliant mind was ready to launch itself at any conundrum presented.  
"Okay here we go - _'Monarch of the divine river. He loved and lost. That single white breast has a memorable size'_. Totally gibberish if you ask me!"  
"No, you're the one asking here," Athena smiled slightly. "And if we are getting into the mainframe of Babylon we need to figure this one out. What do you guys think?"

Athena turned slightly and faced Ares, Penthesileia, Deimos, Nike, Ishiro, Achilles, Keiko, Aventinius, Taranor, Anaxymenos, Bellona, Xantos and I who were scattered in various seats around the living room that afternoon.  
"As Theo said, just gibberish," Anaxymenos huffed from his place by the inglenook.  
"But why bother with it if it doesn't mean a thing?" Nike protested.  
"No, it has to mean something," Deimos agreed.  
"Theo?" Ishiro asked and make sure he was visible in the scrying mirror. "Was the first seal, the one with the Skipper and El Toro also a riddle?"  
"Yeah, but it was easier. _'The skipper who camps with La Giogonda, what's the name of the inn_.' My first try was Le Louvre but it was wrong. So I figured it had to be something in the painting. Either Mona Lisa or that Skipper."

"La Gioconda?" Keiko asked.  
"That's the Italian nickname for Mona Lisa," Athena replied. "But now we looking for that monarch and with a beloved with a single breast."  
"Theseus!" Xantos suggested.  
"Why should it be him?" Ishiro asked.  
"Because he was a king." Xantos smirked. "And he loved an Amazon. One-breasted."  
"That's a pesky urban legend, asshole!" Penthesileia snorted. She was still a bit tempered over her ruined Prada, but anyone could tell that she had two very well grown breasts.  
"Sorry, but..." Xantos began.  
"I know what you mean, pal," Achilles continued the thread. "That urban legend might very well be in the riddle. Think about it, the Titans have always wanted to pick fun of the Greeks, their old arch enemies. And that included the Amazons."  
"Who weren't even Greeks to start with, but proto-Serbians," Deimos said.

"But - pardon me if I laugh, but how to measure the size of that Amazon whatshername's breast?" Taranor chuckled while serving himself and then Nike more of the coffee.  
"Her name was Hippolyta, but I have no idea of her bra size not to mention the exact size of her breast!" Penthesileia huffed.  
"So she wasn't 'our' Hippolyta?" Keiko asked.  
"Nope, just a namesake," Penthesileia explained. "Hippolyta was a rather common Amazon name."

"Now, this doesn't get us anywhere," Athena said. "It's definitely time to broaden the perspective a bit."  
"Yaa! Bigger tits!" Anaxymenos tried a lame joke but Athena stared him down.  
"You're right about that, Athi, but men can only think of certain things," Penthesileia went on unbothered by Anax' goofy comment.  
"..in the riddle for eff's sake..." Achilles could be heard.  
"...first of all there's no river in Athens, and not even a remarkable one in the Attica which was Theseus' kingdom." Athena said. "But where can we find divine rivers? And then I'm not talking petty river gods but the real famous ones? The ones even mortals would recognize."  
"The Donau," Ares began. "The Nile, Amazonas, Yang Tze, Ganghes, Mississippi, Potomac, Zambezi, Volga, Yenisey - not to mention Hudson in my own New York. Or Seine. Perhaps we should stay in Paris after all."  
"Amazonas, I told you so...!" Xantos insisted, but no one paid him any attention.  
"But hello, a French king who loved an Amazon?" Keiko rolled her eyes.  
"What says it has to be about an Amazon?" Ares asked back.  
"Who said it had to be French either," Keiko added.  
"Because the riddle said a single white..." Taranor began.  
"Can't you guys think of _Anything Else_?" Nike again.  
"No, because it was in the riddle!" Taranor replied as Penthesileia's groin filled the room.

"Are you sure?" Achilles asked. "I mean it can be an allegory. Perhaps the riddle hints as something which looks like a breast. A semi-sphere with or without 'nipple'. A dome perhaps."  
"A Christian church?" I tried, thinking of all the doomed cathedrals to be found around the world.  
"Or a mosque?" Bellona suggested.  
"Or any spherical building," Nike said. "Could as well be a nuclear plant or something as mundane."  
"Might be the case," Athena said. "So what do we have, a king or perhaps an emperor by a holy river and a building with a dome, a white one. A king who loved and who lost."

It was then Deimos said:  
"Shah Jahan!"  
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Athena replied and then they were high-fiving while we others didn't get a thing.  
"Come on! Spill the beans!" Achilles urged.  
"It's rather easy when you know where to begin pulling the thread," Athena said. "Shah Jahan, king in India, by the holy river of Ganghes. He loved and he lost his third wife Mumtaz Mahal and to her he raised a mausoleum, the Taj Mahal, with one single snow white dome. Now we just need the size of it."  
"And you, Achilles, almost blew that magnificent building apart in the 19:th century!" Aventinius said.  
"Did I?"  
"Yeah or your general what's his name?"  
"Jeff Tarrel!"  
"I remember him!" Keiko said. "Keith Richards looks like his dead ringer!"  
"Perhaps they are related?" Bellona suggested with a giggle.  
"Yeah ole Tarrel sure slept around a bit," Achilles said. "Perhaps Keith Richards is his great grandson or something."

I stopped listen and went up and over to the window, looking out over a rain wet Paris, grabbing a fistful of cashew nuts as I passed the side table with goodies, and begun munching upon them. I couldn't help smiling a bit. These Olympians were sometimes just as corny - and funny - as my old colleagues had been in the corp. Not that I got all those age-old in jokes about people dead since centuries, I still loved this new 'family' dearly! Now Athena was tapping away on her laptop, obviously checking for the size of the dome, wherever it might be height or diameter or whatever. And then I heard her talking on the phone:  
"Theosoris, the dome's diameter is 17.7 meters, or try 58 feet or... okay, okay great! 58 feet! So you're in. Good work, pal! Now let's hear what the third seal is about!"


	20. Fire daemons

**Fire daemons **

_A/N__** Theronion, Careidon**__ and __**Thalassa**__ – the children of Poseidon were invented just for this story._

A fierce flame spurted from the mouth of the being, like petrol on fire. I ducked, retreated a few feet before somersaulting in position again to be able to lash out at the enemy and cut it in half - only to see it mending itself by kind of 'burning together' again. Or melting together. It was as hard to cut these being apart as it was to cut burning fire apart. Shooting them didn't work either. Those beings were after all - well flames. Intelligent, or at least sentient flames, which were fighting us to hinder us from reaching our destination.

"We're going to need backup here," Alexander called through the magic com link as he sprayed bullets at some of the foes. Futile that too! The man most people knew as Alexander the Great and thought to be dead for 3500 years now, was very much alive and active, an immortal son of Zeus fighting next to me. He had holes burned in his clothes and soot in his face from the smoke emitting from those strange beings we were combating and who did all in their might to hinder us from reaching the third seal. As Alex pushed sweaty blond hair out of his eyes and raised his two-edged javelin for what time in order I don't know, I realized he was right. Before we let confusion and devastation get the better of us we needed enforcement, and most of all we needed another strategy. You don't kill fire with blade or bullets. Nor did you get rid of fire daemons that way. You needed to take away what made them burn. The oxygen for instance. And none of us around had the ability to perform the element manipulative magic needed.

"Don't retreat," came the order from Ares on the other side. "Keep going as long as you have stamina, I'll send you what you need against fire daemons."  
"Why can't we retreat, we're obviously not getting anywhere!" Palaistra protested.  
"If you retreat, they'll understand you're up to something and then they'll be up to something as well. Better surprise them!" Ares replied.  
"You really think they're that smart?" Palaistra asked.  
"Better not risk it," Ares said. "Just keep it up; reinforcement will be right there as fast as possible."  
"Aye aye, commander!" Palaistra replied while she, Alexander, Kyknos, Androkles, Lysandros, Saxa and I kept on doing our thing, which felt kind of pointless. But now it was a diversion more than a regular battle. Ares had learned about those fire beings we were up against and was probably discussing them with Hercules and Athena at the moment.

O0O0O

"Fire elementals!" came the next sign of life from Headquarter. Athena this time. "We're sending the right guys your way. Stay in touch with what develops!"

After that it didn't take more than fifteen minutes and our force had been strengthened with three children of Poseidon: Theronion, Careidon and Thalassa.  
"Here comes the fire brigade!" Thalassa called out on top of her lungs as they intercepted our foes. And they sure were of the right stuff; fighting fire with water is essentially the way to do it. Soon the trio of new arrivals had blasted our adversaries with heavy pressurized sprays, putting them out like the flames they were. Shortly after we were all standing at the stairs of the Mayan ruin, feeling how the water beneath us was turning into ice in the cold weather. No matter that it was late summer in this hemisphere; on these altitudes it was way colder than Montreal in December. Thus I felt the chill as the adrenaline wore off and I had to shield myself.

"Fire elementals?" Alexander echoed Athena's earlier statement.  
"Sure!" Careidon replied, putting two fingers to his forehead in a salute. "Water is the best way to beat them."  
"So I can tell, thanks guys," Alexander nodded tiredly. "But what exactly were they doing here?"  
"Why, defending the Titans' third seal of course," Lysandros replied with a shrug as he examined a dent in his blade.  
"Yeah but why?" Alexander insisted. "I mean, if the Titans knew we were on to their passwords, why not simply change them? After all that'd be what all normal people would do."

"I know," Kyknos said. "But the Tits aren't 'normal people'. I mean they're hardly people to begin with. All together they don't think like us, they don't work like us, they don't care like us, they don't fear like us. That's why they are hard to figure out and hard to defeat. They fool us by being unpredictable. Like using fire demons to protect their passwords - or seals, rather than changing them."  
"Possible," Alexander said, stroking his sooty chin. "However fire daemons are usually not co-working with the Titans. Something is off here." Then he regarded his fingers, which had become sooty as well, before wiping them off on his camouflage-patterned cargo-pants.  
"Perhaps the Fire daemons have their own reasons for being here." Palaistra figured. "Something which has nothing to do with Titans and that this encounter was simply part of something else. Not our war."

"Yeah, but I can see where Alex is coming from," Androkles said and put back his broadsword in the sheet on his back. "There's something odd with fire daemons being in this place. Fire daemons are seldom out in open places. If the Titans were to deploy any kind of elementals, the air ones would be better."  
"Air elmentals have an even bigger problem with the Titans than the fire ones," Alexander pointed out.  
"Explain!" I asked the men. "Why shouldn't there be fire daemons here? Co-operating with the Titans?"  
"Fire daemons are elementary spirits." Alexander said. "An even older specie than the Titans. They don't like the latter. Okay, they don't like humans or human immortals either, but that wouldn't make them co-operating with Titans. As far as I know - and have known for millennia. Same goes for Air-, Water- Earth- and Nuclear-Elementals. They don't..."

"Yes, but let's leave that discussion for later, we're here to check out a seal, remember!" Palaistra cut in.  
"Yes, on top of the pyramid, right!" Saxa replied and started ascending the stairs, sword at the ready as if she expected to meet more badasses up there, which she might as well do. I made an affirmative nod and started after her. Behind me came Alexander, Palaistra, Kyknos and the three children of Poseidon while Androkles and Lysander remained down on the ground as agreed. Soon we had reached the top of the pyramid, spectators of the most magnificent view. Still, we couldn't care less about endless endless steaming green jungles of El Salvador or the backdrop of high indigo mountains covered with the whitest of snow, we were more interested in the writings on the walls.

"Seal number three is the third word in the prayer listed upon the top stone of the largest of the Mayan pyramids," Saxa quoted Theosoris as she felt with her hands over the graffiti-covered walls. "And I who thought fighting the fire elementals was the hard part."  
"What do you mean?" Kyknos asked.  
"How the faithes are we going to find out which word is the third?" Saxa huffed. "The third of ANYTHING! I mean, this is just a melee of scribbling and scraps. Not to mention all the later suckers who can't help writing their names or the names of the sexual organs in their own languages."  
"Do people really do that up here?" I asked although it shouldn't really surprise me knowing how many dorks there really were out there.  
"Yeah," Saxa confirmed. "I've read the word 'cock' in sixteen various languages just in this short period. Including ancient Greek. "  
"Himeros," Kyknos said without developing his thought but behind me I could hear a snorting laugher emerging from Careidon.

"Come on!" Palaistra rolled her eyes as the men started to read out certain words aloud, "Kick Nose! Alex! Guys! Knock it off! We're not here to look for dirty words, we need to concentrate upon what we're supposed to do!"  
"Yeah but I'm with Saxa, how the..." Careidon began.  
"The third word in the prayer!" Hermes' daughter snapped. "We need to locate that prayer, and before the Tits either send more fire elementals against us or decide to actually change those seals. See if you guys can find anything vaguely resembling a prayer. Then I guess we'll have to do some kind of trial and error."  
"Any idea about how many tries we have before the system throws us out?" Alexander asked.  
"No clue, after all we don't even know if their computer system is anything like ours. According to Theosoris the interface of that computer is a totally strange thing."  
"Angry Birds," Kyknos grinned, remembering Alala's comment from back in Paris.  
"And yet they must have got the technology from the humans," Thalassa said. "I mean, I can't imagine a Titan Bill Gates or Steve Jobs."

"May this be a prayer?" asked Theronion, who had been silent up until now. (Save for saying 'cock' in Mandarin earlier.) In reply we walked over to where he stood, beneath a frieze picturing some strange beings, which looked like fantasy animals at first sight. However it was probably more to that than what met the eyes. Beasts believed to be pure fables were or had been real, like unicorns, manticores and griffons. Same went for strange-looking gods. The Egyptians for instance had worn helmets in the shape of animal heads. And now these strange looking beasts were probably just old gods in exotic outfits.

"Too bad these guys are not around anymore!" Careidon said as he came up to the frieze, tilting his head towards the images. "I'm sure they'd be helpful."  
"They weren't once," Alexander replied.  
"Well, a lot of us weren't either," Palaistra said. "We Olympians weren't that found of our neighbors either. It almost became too late before we realized we had to get real and learn to cooperate. That it was possible to be allies without actually loving each other. But then people like Marduk, Rhiannon, Odin, Cernumnos et cetera were already dead and gone."

"Cernumnos was no loss," Saxa snorted. "He was a retarded dork."  
"Perhaps he didn't have the mental capacity to..." Alexander began before Theronion snapped at the rest of us:  
"Will you guys shut it already? I'm trying to interpret this."  
"You don't have to translate the whole damn thing!" Kyknos told. "Just the third word is enough."  
"That's wind - or winter." The son of Poseidon replied. "But I need to know if this is a prayer or not, or else we have no use for that word."  
"Why not?" Saxa wondered. "Can't we just text 'winter' to Theosoris and the gang in Japan and get out of here?"  
"No, because first of all, I don't think we're getting anywhere with the Greek word. It's more probably 'lawaka'." Theronion pointed out.  
"Then text 'law - whatever' then!" Saxa huffed.  
"Why the hurry?" Theronion asked. "I'm not sure..."

"Because I have a bad feeling about this place," Saxa replied and I noted that she still had her sword out while the rest of us had tucked away all weaponry.  
"I sense it too," Kyknos said. "And it's not the howling wind. Well, maybe it is, but something tells me the bad guys are going to be back. And bringing friends. When that happens I guess we'd better be out of here, because then even the fire brigade won't do."  
"You think they're going to throw - what - at us? Which we cannot beat down?" Alexander rose a brow.  
"Oh, we'll beat them down all right," his nephew replied. "But I fear we're running out of time. It's been two hours since Theosoris broke the first seal. Something tells me we don't have much time left. Besides, there are still two more seals to figure out."  
"Okay, bro, so is that thing you're reading our prayer or not?" Thalassa asked and looked firmly at her brother.  
"I'm not sure," Theronion replied. "It doesn't sound like a prayer, it's more like a - well - a description of a ceremony to commemorate a fight between this god and a kind of flame beast."

"A flame beast?" I asked, sensing the similarity with our fight. "May that flame beast be a fire elemental?"  
"Possible," Theronion replied. "Now, the description doesn't match. However very few of these old mortal descriptions do. They interpret things from what they see, know and understand, and then they always exaggerate both the force of the good guys and the bad guys to make the battle more exciting and the divine triumph greater."  
"So there might have been fire elementals here already back then?"  
"Aidra, there have always been fire elementals around. They're among the oldest spiritual beings in the world, since they are not of Earthly origin."  
"You mean they're alien?" I looked with surprise at Theronion.  
"Sort of, but then most biological life has alien origin," the son of Poseidon replied.

"Is there anything else here which resembles a prayer?" Palaistra interjected. "I must admit I'm not the paramount at old Mayan and their culture and beliefs."  
"Hardly, I think the one we got is the one we want." Thalassa said.  
"Let's look around once more!" Alexander commanded. "If we find nothing that remains of a prayer then we have to assume this is it and use it."

Once more we walked around the top of the pyramid and tried to find anything resembling a prayer. Once more we found usselves cursing the jumble of original wordings mixed with later additions in a plethora of languages. And when we found nothing prayer-like we had to assume it was the correct one we had been looking at earlier. Alex took up his phone and sent away a text message to Theosoris. And soon got a reply 'wrong answer'. What the...

"So it wasn't this prayer after all?" Palaistra despaired. "Then what? All the other Mayan texts are just names of gods and kings and similar thing."  
"Perhaps it's just the wrong language! Try Ancient Greek!" Kyknos suggested.  
"Well, we can try any language, and be stuck for a lifetime if that's the case," Theronion retuned.  
"Have any better idea?" enquired Kyknos.  
"We need to think smart here," Alexander said. "Perhaps it's Titan. What's 'winter' in Titan? Yes, O-jaun. Try that. Or just jaun, which means 'cold'. O is a prefix which means 'season' or 'period'."  
"Cold Period." I repeated more or less to myself, wondering if I'd bother to learn Titan one day.

Then the former Macedonian king texted O-jaun to the hacker in Japan and soon got a positive reply back. Theosoris was in! Then Alex called him, asking:  
"Where do we go next?"  
"Sweden."  
"Sweden? What's in Sweden? Where in Sweden?"  
"Stockholm. Find the 9/11 memorial there. I want the fourth surname upon that one."  
"Roger that, we're on our way!" Alex replied and switched off his phone.  
"Gee!" Saxa exclaimed. "Sweden! That's on the other side of the globe. So much for Ares' idea about staying in Paris!"

O0O0O

They came against us again when we were out over the sea, crossing the Atlantic at seven times supersonic speed. It was Careidon in the rear who noticed them first and called out to the rest of us:  
"Bad guys, nine 'o clock?"  
"Can we outfly them?" Theronion asked.  
"Perhaps," Careidon replied, "But you all know how hard it is to fly from fire. Then again they might not be coming for us this time. Let's just pretend we don't care, because if we speed up, they might wonder why we run from them and try to persecute us just because of that."  
"I beg to differ," Palaistra said. "I'm convinced they're after us. How often do you really encounter elementals these days? They tend to stick to their own. So it can't be a coincidence that we meet them twice within just a few..."  
"They're coming for us, no doubt," Androkles cut her off and pulled his blade.

"You can put that one down, Andy!" Thalassa said. "I have a plan, you see!"  
"What?" several voices were heard.  
"Follow me! And use aegises if you don't want to get wet or get water in the guns!" the daughter of Poseidon said and then she turned and dived like a cutting spear right down into the unruly green sea of the Atlantic. Smiling I understood what she intended to do and I wrapped myself in the multi-dimensional force field generally called aegis. The next second I too dived down beneath the waves right behind Alexander. For a second or two I braced myself for the wet coldness which never came since the water was blocked out by the force field. Turning my head, I could see how the surface of the sea above me lit up in a warm, orange hue. It was the fire daemons who were trying to figure out where we had gone and how they should follow us.

The next moment we were in telepathic contact, since speaking beneath the sea level is a bit hard even for gods.  
_Can they follow us here?_ Androkles was asking.  
_No, I don't think so,_ Thalassa replied. _But to be on the safe side we're going to need a diversion. So why don't you and I and Careidon fly up again and then take off into the Caribbean area, while the rest continue to Sweden and check that memorial.  
Aye, I'm with you,_ Androkles said and then he, Thalassa and Careidon started off for the west while the rest of us continued towards north-east.

O0O0O

It took less than a minute for the fire demons to decide to run after Thalassa and the guys instead of hunting us. Nevertheless we stayed beneath sea-level for another fifteen minutes, until we were roughly in level with the Azores. There we broke surface again and ascended into the sky and were able to speed up quite a bit again, still using that stealth magic that made it impossible for mortals to see us upon their radars.

About an hour later we reached Stockholm. Then the sun had already set, it darkened fast during the winter season on these latitudes. It was colder than I could have imagined, still I was deprived of seeing Stockholm shrouded in snow like it used to look in the Nobel Price broadcasts. Instead a persistent drizzle was falling and the sky was overcast and orange with light reflections from the urban area. During our trip Lysandros had been in touch with Athena in Paris and learned where to look for the memorial, so we headed for a large park area north of the downtown. A park with an artificial lake, for the season covered in ice and around it snaked several walkways lined with small wooden huts housing among other things restaurants. Smelling the fragrances drifting out from these establishments we all realized we were more or less starving after our long trip, so we decided to go check that name on the memorial and then grab something to eat.

We landed unseen among pines and started walking up the slope towards the memorial which was sitting on a rock outcrop facing the lake, and I was certain that during a day with better weather it would be a beautiful place. Now the site just looked dark and desolate with its two obsidian pylons rising from a granite base and with about forty names etched in gold, twenty on each pylon. It was easy to see that those pylons represented each of the fallen towers of my home town, and a lot of sad memories called for my attention as I beheld the work of art. Acquaintances who had died, including a firefighter who had been one of my best friends since high school.

A few dried bouquets of flowers and burned out candles were lying around the pylons and beneath a stone was a paper with a poem written in ink which had blurred and faded away by the falling rain. Still I wouldn't have been able to read what had been written there since I had yet to learn Swedish. The whole place breathed of mourning and sorrow, as if those black pylons were radiating their darkness right into people's hearts, and we were all affected, lowering out head in respect. People come to these places with their grief and their loss and remember the beloved ones who once used to be part of their lives and so the deep disconsolation of their soul saturates the place and affect the general vibrations until you can feel it without even knowing why those black pylons had been risen.

Kyknos became the one who called Theosoris this time, telling him the fourth surname - Bente. And that name didn't provide any problem. Theosoris was in within a few seconds. One more seal to go!  
"But first we're going to eat!" Kyknos informed as we descended a slippery staircase to the main pathway, heading for one of those restaurants, one which was serving pancakes!  
"Be sure to do that, because you're going to the Pentagon next."  
"Pentagon?"  
"Yes!" Theosoris said, "although I think you might need someone with you who's familiar with the organization and who can get in and access top secret material."  
"Then I'm not the man, I've hardly been in that building. You're going to need Romulus, Phobos, Aristaios or perhaps Penthesileia. They have the top secret level access I lack. I've always been more of a front soldier in any case."  
"Fine," the hacker said. "Then I'll ask them if anyone can go. And perhaps one or two of you might meet up when you have eaten."

Kyknos finished his call and folded the phone close while we pushed the door open to an expedient restaurant in a red little cottage which looked like something out of a Disney fairytale and with a Thai touch added. Then we realized our mistake. We were too dry and wore too light clothing. The weather was freezing and rainy, and here we came in our military garbs, still tattered by burn marks after having fought the fire elementals and most of all adapted for a warmer weather.

Therefor we had to do some extensive mind manipulations, make the people in the foyer believe we were wearing raincoats, umbrellas, scarves and similar things and were taking them off, and fooling the young boy managing the wardrobe that we were actually leaving some effects with him. The next moment a waitress came up towards us and asked something in Swedish. Androkles, who knew the language, replied and then they exchanged a few short sentences before the Olympian flashed the platinum blond girl a winning smile and she sped off among the tables.  
"What did you said?" I asked the son of Hercules.  
"She asked me how many we were and if we had a table reservation, and I told her seven and no. Then she said she should see what she could do and I told her I was sure she could fix it because she seemed like a real pro."

Androkles' charm seemed to have worked nicely, because soon the waitress was back again and asked us to follow her, using two short syllables and a nod of her head. Snaking usselves between tables in the half-filled room, we reached a corner where a round table was set with seven sets and an equal amount of menus. As Theronion pulled out my chair and I sat down, I got the feeling that I could eat all the things at the menu, so hungry was I and so delicious were the smells coming from other dishes around the room. The place was intimate and small with the lights set low and pink candles burning on every table. There were also fresh flowers in spite of the season and the place breathed coziness and a home-like environment rather than any sort of luxury. Furthermore the service was fast and accurate and soon we had food on our plates and beverage in our glasses, and for the first minutes we did nothing but ate. Pancakes of course but also waffles, bread, cheese, salad, grilled haloumi and whatever had been ordered including some stuff I had no clue what it was but still delightful anyway.

After a while, Palaistra broke the silence:  
"We need to discuss the strange behaviour of the fire daemons with the rest," she stated.  
"Was it strange that they attacked us?" I asked and looked across the table at Hermes' daughter.  
"Sort of," she nodded her head as she tore a piece of bread in half. "I mean, we haven't had any real problems with elementals since the early 15:th century. Then they were confronted by Zeus who threatened to annihilate them if they didn't stay at their own turf. In return we would leave them alone, since we weren't really interested in picking fights with them. Since then they have been honoring their part of the agreement and we ours. I wonder what have made them change their mind about it now."  
"Is this the first time they have attacked gods since the 15:th century you mean?" I asked.  
"Yes. Gods and mortals alike." Palaistra nodded and used her chunk of bread to soak up sauce from her plate. "We have seen them now and then. Seen them coming around and checking the humans out. During extensive war time or when something else strange have happened in the human society. But they have never done anything. Not until now."

"How about the other elementals?" Saxa asked and poured herself some more wine. "What might they do, you think?"  
"Not sure," said Palaistra. "They might stay put or they might engage as well."  
"They are hard to understand since their minds are even more alien than the Titans," Theronion added. "The Neotitans are nothing but mutated humans with magic abilities. We used to be the same specie up until the Neotitans arrived, changed enough to be considered a different breed. So they have a lot of similarities with us. Pack animals, hunters and gatherers. Guarding their home range. But the elementals - they don't have 'tribes' or 'families' like our kind. They don't feed or breed in the regular sense. They gather together to acquire something and when that is done they separate again. And when they gather they seem to link their minds as well. As if they are not really individuals but part of a kind of super-unit. And probably becoming such when they gather and then stop being it when they separate. I've been studying water elementals for centuries. And I don't think the other elementals are very much different from the water ones."

"What else are there?" I asked.  
"Earth, air, atomic and electric," said Kyknos and put aside his utensils. "Really good food here! I'm full and content and can take on whatever elemental they send against me!"  
"Don't wish too hard, it might come true," Saxa glanced at him with a smile.

"So who's going to Pentagon?" Kyknos asked.  
"I can go!" Saxa volunteered.  
"Aidra? You're American!"  
"Kyknos, in this case I think it's better if just a few people go there," I replied. "At Pentagon the security is tighter than Aphrodite's jeans and they would be suspicious if a 'tourist crew' was walking in. Besides I don't think there's going to be any fire elementals inside the Pentagon."  
"Don't be so sure, they can go anywhere," Lysandros said.  
"No, Pentagon is defended by magic as well." Kyknos replied. "My father has made sure of that. Very few know about it though. I'm not even sure the present president is aware, but there's a small secret group within the Pentagon who knows the real state of the world and who knows who and what we are, what kind of battle we are fighting and how they need to protect themselves and America. In fact those small groups exist in almost every nation across the world. I think Iran, Congo, Cuba, Eritrea and North Korea are the few exceptions."

We decided that Saxa should go to Washington DC and the Pentagon and she took her phone and made arrangements with Penthesileia and Phobos who were already heading there. The rest of us decided to return to Paris, save for Theronion who went home to his place in Italy. The foyer was empty when we left the restaurant, even the lad in the wardrobe was missing so we didn't have to pretend to get some clothes from him.  
"But wouldn't he think it's strange that we never came for them?" I asked Androkles.  
"No, he won't remember them," the god replied. "To be true, I don't think he really would remember us."  
"Why not?"  
"Because we hypnotized him."  
"Oh! Creepy."  
"Relax, Aidra. He was the only one we treated that way, the rest of the restaurant personnel and guest didn't receive any treatment of that kind. It was only necessary with him since he had to believe we had outdoor clothes and things with us to leave with him."

I let hear an understanding sound while we exited the place. As soon as we had made sure there were no one around we took in the air, heading for Paris and Hercules' place in Montmartre where we were keeping our temporary headquarter. The minute we had got there Androkles asked for a meeting with Ares, Athena, Hercules and whoever else who might offer intelligence about elementals.

O0O0O

"I agree, it's outright peculiar that they attacked you," said Athena as we had retold our story. She stapled her fingers and rested her chin upon them as her eyes slid towards Ares:  
"What do you make out of it, bro? Why have they chosen to break their agreement with us now?"  
"They never really liked it," Ares said. "They've always felt humiliated, as if they were the losing end of some Versailles Peace Agreement. So I'm not surprised that they finally decided to break it."  
"But why now?" Athena asked.  
"Why not now?" Ares asked back.  
"Athi's right, there has be a triggering reason," Hercules said. "It might have to do with the Titans but it might as well be connected to something entirely else. Something they were protecting in the Mayan temple and were afraid we were out to take from them. I guess we need to find out as soon as possible, to gain an upper hand. The last thing we need now is another enemy."

"Perhaps that's why the Titans chose the place," I suggested. "They knew the place was defended by fire elementals, and that gave it a kind of protection for free."  
"True," Ares said. "But at the same time the Titans did attack you in the Louvre."  
"But there was no one in Stockholm," Kyknos pointed out.  
"Perhaps they didn't make it there on time," Athena replied. "Fire elementals are rare in the polar regions, where the Earth magnetism is strong. Now, we need to know what part the fire elementals play in this game. Foe, neutral or even friend, don't count that possibility out. You know the proverbial 'enemy's enemy'."  
"But why did they attack us if we are 'friends'?" Lysandros sounded puzzled.  
"That's what we need to learn," Ishiro said.

"How do we find out?" Kratos wanted to know. He and Taranor were the only ones of Athena's team who remained in Paris, the rest of them had returned to Southern Africa where they were mainly located, just as Ares' crew were located in the eastern United States and Hercules' people were spread over central Europe.  
"We need to enter the Lion's den," Athena replied.  
"What you mean?" Kratos asked.  
"We need to get in touch with the Fire daemons to find out why they attacked the Olympians who went to El Salvador."  
"Or just any fire daemon, if it's true that they have a collective mind," Lysandros said.  
"Which is next to impossible," Palaistra said.  
"And the impossible just take a little longer," Kratos responded.  
"Then we better begin this right away," Athena stated.


	21. Of love and war

**Of love and war**

"Okay," Ares said, appearing oddly relaxed where he stood in the middle of Hercules' large living room, wet in the hair after a shower and buttoned-up shirt. "Take a couple of days off, all of you. Go home, sleep, watch a movie, do some shopping, whatever. If anything urgent happens we'll call you. And if not I'll see you guys at my place in Manhattan next Wednesday. Meanwhile Athena and I are going to trace a fire daemon, and scan its brain without getting noticed while doing so."

"Shit, he makes it sound so easy," Palaistra said where she was sitting next to me.  
"Can it be done?" Kyknos asked.  
"It has been done before," the God of War answered. "Zeus has told Athena how he did it back in the 15:th century. And we'll just have to do the same thing, although I admit it'll be harder because the fire demons are so much harder to find these days than they were 500 years ago. I'm not counting on it, but there might be a chance to find some of them down in Etna."

"Yay! Holiday!" Bellona smile and raised a fist in the air. But her smile was a bit pale. She knew as well as the rest of us that it was only a question of days before the Titans might start throwing all they had at us. The things Theosoris had found in the Titan computer network proved as much. Our discovery of the Titan city of Babylon had halted our enemies for a while, but for some reason the Titans didn't seem to fear our retribution. It didn't seem to scare them the slightest that we now had the ability to get back at them and hit at their cities the same way they had been hitting at our society for so many centuries. Perhaps we needed to teach them one more lesson to get them to stay away from humanity.

After his hack Theosoris had delivered us the whole underground society of the Titans. A network of cities stretching across the Eurasian continent from Siberia in the north to India in the south, from Korea in the east to Normandy in the west - with an entrance here in Paris in fact! I didn't like the thought of it at all, but conceivably we needed to hit their society at least once more the way Athena had hit them back in Babylon. And desirably in another place, to show that we were able to go there as well.

Anyhow, I could sure need something else to think about than Titans and war for a while. It was wearing me out. We were soon in April and all I've been doing this year was fighting and killing. How did Ares and the others live with it? So I picked up my phone and dialed a number I've wanted to dial for a long time now.

Apollo was there on the other end right away.  
"Beloved! How great to hear your voice again!"  
"Apollo! I've missed you!"  
"And I've missed you, sweetie."  
"Good. I'm off for a couple of days now."  
"Where are you at the moment?"  
"Paris."  
"Couldn't be better. I'll be right there! Je t'aime, Aidra!"  
"Oui! Je t'aime aussi, Apollo!"

When I put the phone away I became aware of Ares looking at me from the doorframe. There was something dark in his eyes as if he was mad at something and I raised a questioning brow.  
"Ares, what..."  
"Nothing," he snarled, and then he turned around in an overly dramatic gesture, hitting the door-frame with the palm of his hand before walking away, the sound of his boots echoing hard against the marble floor. There sure was something! Something which made me feel like a child who had been caught with my eager hand in the cookie can. But Ares had told us to take a few days off and relax, and what better way to do that than spending them with your beloved one? I was certainly not going to answer to him for my choices of diversion, even if it did involve his big brother.

O0O0O

It felt so wonderful to run into the arms of Apollo again after more than two week's absence. Two weeks felt like an eternity after what I'd been through since last time. But when Apollo held me, all the tiredness and worries were swept away as if a tidal wave had washed over me. I buried my face in his embrace, my nose in the pit where the collarbones met and my nostrils filled with his flagrances, my ears with his heartbeat and my cheeks were tickled by blond hair.  
"Babylove!" His hands travelled down the small of my back. "It's so great to hold you again! How were your weeks?"  
"Terrible," I admitted.  
"You may tell later if you feel for it, but come, let's go."  
"Where?"  
"We're in Paris. Anywhere there's love. It might be a bit early for spring but I did some tinkering with the weather, we're getting a generous influx of sunshine and unusual warm temperatures, dear. So it might almost feel like spring in Paris for you and me!"

He sure got that right, Apollo. While walking down the street we saw people everywhere taking off their jackets and coats, and smiling at the sun and at each other. We saw doors and windows opening up and cafés moving chairs and tables outdoors. Everything seemed so much happier, so much easier than before, it felt almost impossible to understand that we were living under a threat of doom. That our little group of Olympians was the very few who stood between the humans of the world and total slavery. Or worse. No, the Parisians didn't know anything about it and it definitely was best that way. They could go on with their lives and enjoy the sun, a cafe au lait and the gossip of the neighborhood without having to worry about threats they couldn't do anything about anyway. Still there were a few cynical Parisians we heard talking about the ozone hole. However we didn't let their sour faces affect our minds. Apollo and I were happy and in love and it was almost spring, so hand in hand we kept on strolling down the streets.

Eventually we reached the shore of the Seine and there we sat down on a bench and soon we were swept away by the good mood of the city and found us kissing. Kissing deep and exploring, French kissing by the Seine, almost like in a movie. And I felt like I could stay like this forever. With Apollo. In Paris.  
"Apollo," I said, when we let go to catch our breath. "When we... when we get the chance to do this for real, when we're done with this war - can we live in Paris together you and I?"  
"I'm not so sure about Paris, but of course we'll live together you and I."  
"Why not Paris?"  
"It's a nice town to visit, but not as nice to live in. I've done it. Twice. I'd prefer New York much better, I think."  
"Hercules lives here."  
"Yes that's him. He and Dionysos spend a lot of time here. It fits them."

"Where do you live when you're not at Olympia?"  
"In fact Olympia is my major home. I like it there, especially when there are not that much people around and I can walk the beach endlessly and compose in my head. But I have houses in Italy, Florida, Mauritius, Jamaica, Chile, Australia, Egypt and India as well."  
"I'd love to go to India!"  
"Then let's do it as soon as time permits."  
"How about Greece?" I asked as we rose and started walking again, his arm around my back, my hips and torso fitting nicely against his lithe body.  
"No, not anymore," he replied.  
"It's kind of funny, your origin is Greek, everyone remember you as the Greek Gods but no one seems particularly connected to or interested in Greece anymore."

"Athena's still got a place there. And Helios. And Orion and Nyx too if I remember correctly," Apollo replied. "But most of us don't share that Greek connection. I tired already in the medieval days, during the Byzantine era, when that old land became suffocating dull. When the theatres and the philosophers had gone and the academies turned into crumbling debris. When the music stopped, I moved out to never return. Then we have the younger ones. They don't give a damn about Greece. The portal is still there, at Mount Olympos, but it's very seldom used anymore. It might have been the main portal once, but that was 2200 years ago. Later than that, there's been just a few who've been going back to try to make a difference in the area. The last tries to actually acquire something there was when Alexander tried to unite the Hellas with Persia, Egypt and some other little kingdoms. His creation lived on for some time and then Ares came along with his Romans and put an end to that. At that time even Athena had moved out and was doing something on the British Islands if I remember correctly, hanging with some local gods."

He stopped and pointed out some lovely buildings and then he said.  
"But if you want to live in Paris maybe we can try it for a while. If we don't like it we can always go somewhere else."  
"Italy?"  
"Perhaps."  
"I've never been to Italy either."  
"Then you've got something to really look forward to. We must go there soon."  
"In fact before I became - before my apotheosis, I had hardly been outside New York State. I was in Canada once, which was the only reason for me to acquire a passport."  
"We sure must do something about that. But for now on, let's enjoy Paris!"

We sure did that! We continued our walk along Seine, talking about this and that, crossed a beautiful bridge where we stopped for a while and looked down in the water. Then we strolled over to the other side and had lunch at a laid back little Taverna with the same cozy atmosphere as that Swedish pancake place. When I told Apollo about it he said:  
"We must go there too! I love pancakes!"  
"I didn't know that!"  
"Oh, did I forget to tell you?"  
"Now you remembered. So let's put Stockholm on our list! And we can go see the Midnight sun as well!" I said, and then I let Apollo order a fish dish which he told me made his mouth water. To go with that he let the waiter suggest a bottle of nice white wine.

"Fish and white wine, look how predictable we are," he said after having tasted and accepted the suggested beverage. "Don't tell Dionysos or he's going to tease me."  
"Why?"  
"He always believes I know nothing about wine."  
"Is that so then?" I mocked smilingly.  
"Nah, not really. I know what I need to know about the beverage. But I guess that's something we started way back and now we cannot stop."  
"So if I had told him we had red wine to fish he would have said nothing, you mean?"  
"He probably would, so no matter what, it's a no-win situation."  
"Then, Apollo, if anyone asks, I say we had beer."  
"Let's toast to that!"

After our meal the Eiffel Tower was beckoning, and as really good tourists we went there and took the elevator as far up as it was possible to go and enjoyed the view. No matter that I had flown higher just the evening before, when we returned from Sweden. No matter that I had seen nighttime Paris beneath me in all its glory from that altitude. Going up in the Eiffel tower and enjoying the magnificent view together with the man I loved sure became a special experience. Climbing that tower was one of those things you just 'have' to do - at least once in your life. So for the first time I felt I was actually enjoying Paris for real, instead of just seeing it from inside Hercules' apartment or running across the Louvre with bullets flying around my head and a horde of scared French school kids to worry about.

It wasn't until late in the night before we sneaked inside Hercules' place and into the guest room I had shared with Saxa before she had taken over the one Nike had vacated just this morning. Apollo and I had seen a musical and then we had dined and now we wanted each other for dessert. Some people were still up, I could hear a TV somewhere, the soft clic-cloc of pool balls from another place and muted martial arts cries emerging from the dojo. Kratos and Alexander. Then I heard Athena's mellow laugher drifting down a spiral staircase just before I opened up the door to my bedroom. Apollo bit my earlobe and I was giggling too and absurdly enough hushing him before we stumbled inside my room and fell down on the bed, Apollo kissing my neck and opening up the buttons of my blouse. In turn I slid my hands inside of his polo, felt along his narrow waist and up his hard belly and he was trying to say something and kissing me a the same time.

As the hormones seized control over our bodies and minds we were struggling to get the clothes off us and each other, kissing and giggling at the same time. Like kids we were. Like teenagers high on hormones. We weren't exactly silent, so I guessed several of our fellow Olympians could hear what was going on. Whatever, if they liked to gossip they were welcome, neither Apollo nor I had made it any secret that we were a couple these days. Nor was it a secret that we knew well how to enjoy each other. The bliss he gave me as his burning lips travelled down my torso and my belly, stopping at the navel to nibble at its edges, before continuing further down, made it more or less impossible to remain silent. I grabbed his blond locks and encircled my legs around his lithe torso, craving him as mine, as I craned my neck backwards, staring at the brass bedpost as if I couldn't make sense of what it actually was, seeing my own distorted reflection in the shiny bars, my eyes burning with enchantment. Apollo! Oh faithes! I found myself calling out for him to enter me, and he wasn't late to comply. Lifting me up towards him we ended up almost sitting. I was cradled in his lap and I felt my body shivering with tides of ecstasy. My... this was celestial! This man sure knew how to please a lady!

After having made love, intoxicated by the Paris atmosphere we fell asleep in each other's arms. Tired, bordering on exhausted, but pleased.

O0O0O

"So Ares, what you're saying is that we are in deep shit now, if I should express myself a bit more straightforward?" Kratos said, shifting in his seat opposite of the God of War in Hercules' war room. We had just listened to a summary of what Ares and the others have learned from an oddly talkative fire-daemon, and it was no good news. This severity made it seem a bit peculiar that we had dismissed so many people just a few days earlier.

The only reason for me to still be around was in fact sitting next to me. Apollo had stayed because he wanted to hear what his siblings had learned from the daemon they had tracked down on Sicily and questioned.  
"You can say that, yes," Ares said and looking at the blond and bulky God of Strength, who went on enquiring:  
"So what do we do? You guys have any kind of plan?"  
"We have some ideas, yes," Ares said. "But not really a plan, too soon for that. We want to hear what all of you have to say first. If you have any clever suggestions to make."  
"Then I suggest we just go in with all we've got and blast them to republic come!" Kratos replied.

"It's 'Kingdom Come'," Bia said.  
"As if I care?" Kratos rolled his eyes at his sister.  
"What kingdom by the way?" Anacreon asked but no one seemed to have heard him.  
"So what's wrong with Kratos' idea?" Ares asked all of us across the table.  
"All we have not being enough?" I suggested.  
"It's predictable," Ishiro reasoned.  
"_Where _do we hit, first of all?" asked Alexander. Then there were several people saying several more or less intelligent things for a while, until Ares cut the discussion off:

"Everything you're saying now is more or less relevant, although it was more relevant just a month ago," Ares began. "First of all, thanks to Theosoris, we're now the lucky owners to a more or less complete layout of the Titan society. Information regarding all their cities and communication hubs, their water supplies, the way they're getting fresh air down in their cave dwellings et cetera. We can now strike back at them the way they have been striking against our mortals for centuries, with acts of pure terrorism. I know that a lot of you don't like that way of fighting, thinking it low and dishonest. But perhaps - I say perhaps - we shall rethink that, because we now have a great opportunity to show them that we can give back the eye for an eye way. They don't have that kind of an upper anymore.

The second thing we have learned is that the Titan society is very much larger than we have ever thought. Based upon earlier calculations we were guessing that their head count might've been some 10 million. While they are in fact nearing a billion. Nearly all of them down underground. So I can imagine the prospect of invading the surface of the planet feels very tempting. As Aidra just pointed out, what we have today is not enough to take them out the way Kratos for instance wants. But there are ways around that, which Athena, Hercules and I have been discussing tonight. One of those alternatives is putting all the cards on the table and involving the mortals. Simply telling them the truth."

At those words from the God of War the talk began again, and protests were heard from among others Bia and Deimos while people like Saxa and Alexander agreed.  
"About friggin' time!" Alexander called out. Then Ares silenced the gathering once more.  
"With the combined force of the NATO and what for instance China and Russia have got, we'll receive enough firepower to hit at the Titan society and hit them hard. But beside exposing usselves to the mortal society there's one more danger with that. Which is the Titan society's underground location."  
"How can that be a risk?" Bia asked.

"There is a Titan city more or less right here, beneath Paris," Athena said, pointing downwards with her index finger. "It's called Estarsia and consists of three million of Titans. If we nuke that city we risk a collapse of the ground and Paris going under. Not to mention that we risk exposing the Parisians for radiation through hundreds and hundreds of years."  
"Then let's not use nukes," Kratos' and Bia's brother Zelos said. "Let's use biological warfare instead. Or put killer poison in their fresh water supply."  
"The same risks with that," Athena replied. "That poison or germs or whatever weapon of choice may spread to the world above. And we'll put Paris at risk anyhow."

"Then how about a city not directly located beneath a human one?" Saxa asked. "Are there any?"  
"Sure, there's Falamar, more or less in the middle of Sahara and Sirebines beneath Siberia." Hercules responded.  
"Then let's take them!" Zelos urged and balled his fists as if he was going into a brawl.  
"It's a catch to that too, right?" Hercules' son Alexiares asked, looking quite a bit more laid back as he kept tipping his chair backwards, folding his hands behind his neck.  
"Yes there is," Athena said. "The nuking of any underground city won't go unnoticed by the mortals. Say that we fire off a bomb in Sirebines beneath Siberia. Then the mortals will note the explosion and the NATO countries will most certainly start questioning the Russians about testing nuclear weapons. The Russians will deny for sure and no one will believe them of course. And the tension and suspicion will wake anew, like during the cold war."

"So what?" Alala questioned. "The cold war was more or less an armistice any way."  
"Yes, but not a pleasant one as you might remember," Athena replied. "Back then we had this balance of terror which kept the world mostly in check. It simply doesn't work that anymore. It's not the Soviets versus the Americans anymore, but so many more players on the turf. Who knows what might happen if the Iranians get too uncomfortable? Or the Chinese? Or the Israeli?"  
"Or that crackpot in North Korea," Kyknos huffed. "He may do just about anything."

"Athena, didn't you just say we were going to involve the Mortals?" Anacreon objected.  
"The general idea is to avoid doing that," Hercules replied and drunk from his glass of water. "I'm not going to go over the gazillion of reasons for that for yet another time."  
"But if we approach the Russian and American leaders..." Bia began.  
"Too risky," Ares replied. "Remember that most of them do not know that we exist first of all. We'll need to thread really careful if we are to do something like that. And we might not have the time for such a ballet."  
"But dad," Penthesileia let up her voice. "How long shall we really thread on eggshells?"  
"As long as it's needed, daughter," the God of War replied.

"So what DO we do?" Lorenata, a daughter of Hercules, asked.  
"We go kill Tits," her sister Lynara replied.  
"I'm in!" Potestas, son of Kratos, raised his muscled arm with a smirk.  
"A 'me too' on that!" Anacreon added and Nerio and Kydoimos were also calling out their agreement.  
"We have been talking about hitting them with magic," Hercules cut in, raising his voice to ensure people's attention. "Certain chaos magic is of the quality that it can do a lot of damage and still not be registered by the surveillance instruments the mortals have. Nothing on seismic meters or Geiger counters or the likes, since it's pure magic, and does not involve any of the other natural forces like electricity or nuclear powers. But it is irregular magic we're talking about. Very dangerous magic. Very difficult and volatile stuff. The slightest mistake and we risk doing more damage than really intended."  
"Or to put it short, we might blow the planet in half." Ares said with a grim voice.

Now Apollo interrupted:  
"Wait a moment! Do you guys really know what you're doing? You talk about blowing planet Earth into half, as if it's a used oil barrel you're referring to! Have you talked to Zeus about this? Does he know that you're sitting here and planning such risky ventures?"  
"What do you think?" Bia turned to the god of music.  
"Apollo!" Athena said and pinched her nose, suddenly looking so tired. "Don't you think we've been discussing this? We've been up the whole night, for faith's sake!"  
"But have you discussed it with Zeus!"  
"Apollo, I can't see anything father could possibly have contributed with," Athena replied. "After all we're the gods of war. We have been trusted with making these kinds of decisions for millennia. Do you think we would've received this kind of trust if we would have shown any inclination of putting the world at risk."  
"But Ares said..." Apollo began, I could feel his insecurity now, this was unmapped territory for him, and on top of that, reasoning with Athena was quite hard since she was so clever at arguing. Nonetheless, Apollo was worried and Ares's words had scared him.

"Athena," I cut in, and suddenly all eyes were on me in a way I didn't really want. I decided to go on in spite. "You talked about the cold war earlier. You do remember why the world was so tense back then, why there was so much suspicion? It was because all the nukes, and the ability to use them and destroy the world several times over. People like me and my family used to be scared of these things. We sure didn't trust the Soviets, we feared that they'd start nuking us over one reason or the other at any time. I guess you remember the Pig's Bay. I wasn't born back then, but my father told about the event. How freaked out all the people were, thinking the nuclear war was just hours away. People building shelters in their back yards, storing canned food."

"Your point, Aidra?" Ares said, sounding irritated.  
"My point is that Apollo might feel just like I feel now and like the mortals felt during the cold war. These kinds of weapon, wherever they are nuclear, magic or anything else, they scare the shit out of us. So naturally Apollo was worried that someone would run head over heels and misuse them."  
"Aidra, you can sleep safe tonight," Athena tried to reassure me. "And you too, Olly. We do not intend to misuse these weapons."  
"But have you talked to Zeus? I still think..."  
"If it helps you, Apollo, we will do so before we initiating anything," Athena promised her brother. "But foremost we want to discuss this with the rest of the warriors of Olympos. We do not want to go over anyone's head and miss out on good ideas. Besides, no major attack will be initiated before the Council of Twelve has been informed. We simply don't have the mandate to act otherwise."

That calmed Apollo a bit, but I could tell that Ares was a bit annoyed. He kept on glaring at his big brother as if he wanted to land a fist in the face of him. When all Apollo had done was expressing some worries about these weapons! Frankly, I guessed, it was just a question of territories and testosterone. I've seen it in the Police corps as well as with the Olympians, the men were always a bit more aggressive when they were defending their areas of interest. Taking that in mind it wasn't strange that Athena was the goddess of reason, even when it came to the military details. She stayed cool and level-headed while the men could end up quarreling with each other over seemingly unimportant things.

"What we have planned so far is to use some kind of chaos magic against the Titans in a few selected cities," Athena went on. "That will be done by perhaps five or six of us with the right abilities. These people will sneak inside the Titan cities and activate their magic right in the middle of it all. It'll mean the need of lesser force to do enough damage. Meanwhile the rest of you will be deployed to create an all-out diversion in other cities, attracting all the Titan attention to your attacks. When they are busy with regular shooting and bombing, the magic force will strike. To acquire this we will have to deploy more gods. We need to gather our allies as well as call in upon favours done to other pantheons around the world. And the planning for this will begin as soon as possible. Including of course, briefing the rest of the Council of Twelve."

O0O0O

As we were standing by the large panoramic window, looking out over Paris, Apollo put his arms around me and leaned his cheek upon my shoulder. We were alone in the upper living room, the only thing heard was the muted tunes of Pet Shop Boys on the surround system, singing about West End Girls.  
"Aidra?" my beloved asked.  
"Yeah?" I cuddled closer to him, feeling the warmth of his body against my back, the warmth of his breath tickling my neck. He smelled slightly of cinnamon and of the apple pie we had eaten earlier that the day.  
"Do you have to... stay with those warriors?"  
"What do you mean? It's what I do."  
"Aidra, I can make room for you in my organization. I'm always in need of good and energetic people plus it give us the chance to spend more time together. As it is now I miss you too often, my dear!"

"Apollo, I'd love to. But..."  
"But what, sugarplum?"  
"But I feel like - I want to finish this. You heard the War Gods in there. What they had learned from the Fire Daemon. That the Titans are buying in other magic creatures to ally themselves against our kind. Giving them promises we know they're not going to keep but which the elementals, the mer people and the other beings are believing in. I just can't walk out of my duty during times like these."  
"Aidra, don't be such a 'duty first' kind of girl. You're not a New York policewoman anymore. And it's not like there's a lack of able fighters available whatever Hercules might be saying. Besides I'd be devastated if anything should happen to you."

"Nothing's going to happen to me besides my bad conscience. Now listen, honey, I love you too much to want to let you down. But let's do like this: I stay with the warriors for this big time battle. I'll go into some Titan city and do my thing. And then, when it's over, I'll hand in my resignation to Ares and then I'll come and work with you."  
"You'd do?" I could hear in Apollo's voice how he lit up like a true Sun God.  
"Yes. Because I too want to be with you. Besides Ares have been so grumpy the last few weeks. In fact ever since new year. I don't know what his problem is, probably just average stress, but I'm getting sick and tired of it. The chance to get away from that would feel just great!"

"So it's a deal?" Apollo asked.  
"It sure is," I replied and turned around in his arms and met his kiss.


	22. On enemy ground

**On enemy ground **

_A/N I've taken a lot of liberty with the Japanese legends here, for instance the The Candyman God is completely made up. However the samurai era backdrop is fairly accurate._

So came the day when I was turned into attack soldier, and was sent out to kill and destroy!

The day before, Ares had walked us through the general plan. The plan he had come up together with Athena, Hercules and Alexander. First there was a group consisting of twelve magicians. They were going two by two into six of the largest Titan dwellings to spell out certain formulas which would annihilate these places completely. Then the rest of us were going to create a diversion, we were going into twelve other cities with the aim to create as much havoc as possible, turning the places upside down and inside out! Level them to the ground. Hopefully that would teach the Titans the lesson that we had had enough now. Finally there was one rather large group, led by Achilles, who was going to be monitoring the surface of the Earth to see that no Titans went surface-side to 'exact revenge'. Those gods were also meant to go into any Titan city as backup should it be needed. Ares had shown the Titan cities at a world map, where the entrances were and given us the time table. When to go in, when to begin attacking and when to withdraw - although the last thing was approximately. If a group felt that they had marauded enough in a place they could exit faster, and perhaps go help elsewhere. Same thing - if someone felt that they were needing more time they could stay a little bit longer. But not much, no one should endanger themselves by risking getting caught down there.

Finally Ares announced the teams. I became part of Ishiro's group which was going into Meknat, a town located somewhere beneath south-western China, with an entrance point on the Indian/Pakistani border. Also in the group were Proioxis, Palioxis, Saxa, Androkles, Xantos, Alala, Paradox, Narion, Polemos, Nerio, Keiko, Kumiko, Romulus and Akheloios. That made us sixteen, a good number, which would enable us to split in eight/eight or four times four or whatever, should be needed. We were given twelve hours to get to Meknat and to get in position as well as twelve hours to do what we should in there.

Before the twenty-five groups of fighters went off in their different directions, we had synchronized our clocks so that every diversion-group would attack simultaneously, at 2000 Eastern Time. The group of mages would start one hour later, when the Titan population was over their head with defending themselves from malicious intruders. Since it was eight in the morning Eastern Time when our group left, we had twelve hours until A-hour. A for attack. Twelve hours to reach Meknat and get into position – a timespan which made it possible to stealth and enter carefully. We in Ishiro's group were the first to leave, since we were among those with the longest ways to travel - more or less to the other side of the world. To not arise suspicion we split in four groups which four persons in each, one travelling south, one travelling north, one travelling west and finally one travelling east. In that one were Ishiro himself and I together with the twins Proioxis and Palioxis.

We flew over the Atlantic, Europe, the middle East and then we entered the secret access point in the Himalayas, an ostensibly insignificant cave of the kind where a Sherpa might find shelter for the night but not bothering to look what laid behind the seemingly immobile boulders. However Ishiro moved them to the side, and inside stretched a dark, cold and long tunnel of the kind that makes it into Indiana Jones movies. We were the second group in, a littered Mars paper in the opening told us that the group consisting of Alala, Saxa, Androkles and Xantos had already arrived.

Proioxis took her empty coke can and put it down next to the Mars paper to tell the rest that we had arrived too. The daughter of Ares was dressed in black leather from top to toe, and she looked like a cross between a Goth and a Sith lord. Her sister Palioxis looked almost the same. She nodded us ahead and we entered the cave and started down the steep slope, lighting our way with electric flash lights, since the use of magic plasma balls might reveal that we were coming. Tech stuff were way better than magic when you wanted to sneak up on anything else than human mortals. Titans and others were all looking out for magic wave forms and not bothering that much with electricity generated from chemical batteries.

The path down was narrow, steep, uneven and wet, the worst possible, and I was certain that this entrance was seldom used. Perhaps it was just an emergency exit, because for the large and bulky Titans it would be a very inconvenient way. They would only be able to walk one by one and thus they might easily become trapped in a place like this whichever way they might come from. I was convinced that Meknat was one of these cities the Titans regularly reached by underground means only.

"This might mean that they'd hardly expect an attack upon Meknat," I said conversationally to Ishiro after having elaborated my reasoning.  
"Yeah, I've been thinking about that too," our team leader nodded his head. "Save for that there might very probably be another way in. A larger, better one. I think father picked this one for us simply because it's a bit more off and therefore of lesser importance for the Titans. Hopefully they hardly guard it."  
"That would be great," Proioxis grinned.  
"But we cannot count on it, though," her brother replied.

"It's even RAINING in this faithforsake place," Palioxis complained. I hummed in agreement. Big, splashy, cold and wet drips were falling from the ceiling and for some reason they more often than not seemed to find themselves the way in between the neck and the jacket collar.  
"It's probably subsoil water from the melting glaciers above us," Proioxis said. "Global fucking warming! When these Titans are done with I suggest we gods spend time fixing the planet instead."  
"Well, Poseidon, Demeter are already working on it," I pointed out.  
"Are they getting anywhere then...?" Proioxis started but Ishiro cut her off.  
"We can discuss that later, first thing first, and this is hitting Meknat."

Proioxis merely shrugged and we continued in silence, the rays of our torchlights flickering across wet stone. Sometimes tiny rubble were coming lose and rolling down the path with sounds which in the relative silence of this place echoed like thunder.

After perhaps five minutes of walking in unobtrusiveness our narrow tunnel opened up into a larger cavity with a floor which was obviously worked upon by sentient beings. It was flat and partly covered in what appeared to be writings, together with sketchy representations of humans (or other primates). These characters were engaged in various antics, some incomprehensible while other were very obvious, including a very outré group sex activity including fellatio and similar antics, which made us all stop, stare and giggle. Porn was obviously as old as the higher primate specie.  
"Are those Titans?" Proioxis asked, hinting with her toe at a person (gender impossible to tell) who was giving a man a blow job.  
"No idea," Ishiro replied. "Although I'd guess it."  
"Naughtitans!" Palioxis tittered.  
"What may be the purpose for these kind of drawings?" Proioxis wondered. "Religious or...?"  
"Perhaps," said Ishiro.  
"Or just bored workers having some fun." I suggested. "Ancient graffiti." The twins giggled at that.

"I'm not so sure about that," Palioxis turned serious. "After all the fertility cults are the most prominent cults with almost all human races, so that traces of it should be found with the Titans too, should not surprise anyone. I might point out that we have found similar traces in caves which once were in use by Elves."  
"Elves? Elves did exist?" I asked.  
"Homo Sapiens Alpheus. They're very much still around," Palioxis confirmed. "It's the dwarves which are gone. Homo Sapiens Diminutivus. I always thought they'd be the ones who'd outlast the rest of us. They seemed so durable."

"What happened to them?" I continued to ask.  
"The ABF virus took a large chunk of the stock back in the early 1820:ies," Palioxis went on. "Just before it mutated into HIV and started to affect humans as well. And then Stalin and Hitler did their part to finish off the last ones. The last dwarf might've died in Prague back in 1948."  
"Did the Nazis..." I began but Ishiro cut me off.

"School's out for the time being. We have to move on. This is the way out," the Japanese indicated a huge iron square.  
"What's that?" Proioxis asked.  
"A door, what do you think?" her sister teased.  
"A cupcake perhaps," the other twin wasn't that easily thrown off.  
"And we definitely need to open it. Is there any way to do that without using magic or divine strength?" Ishiro asked.  
"Since it can't obviously been opened from this side, given that there's neither a lock nor a handler, we'd better go for the hinges," I suggested. "Anyone see these?"

My comrades begun looking around the door but without finding anything slightly resembling hinges. The door seemed impossible to get through without the use of magic, which we had been expletively told to avoid with all means before A-hour.  
"So how did the others get in?" Proioxis asked. "Saxa and these guys?"  
"Too bad we can't ask them because that'd mean the use of magic as well," Ishiro cursed under his breath.  
"Didn't anyone think of bringing cell phones?" Proioxis sighed.  
"In case you haven't noticed, Pro, we're some 2500 feet underground. No reception," Palioxis replied.

Before the twins started to bicker, which I could feel that they were bordering on, Ishiro called us to come over to a place by the cave wall.  
"Here! I can feel a breeze of cold air from up there. Must mean there's another way. Come on, let's go!"

At the same time I heard voices behind me and as I turned around I recognized Polemos, Nerio, Keiko and Romulus spilling out from the narrow passage at the other side of the room.  
"Hey guys, you've got hold up?" Romulus asked.  
"Sort of," his brother replied. "There's a door there which is impregnable without the use of magic or divine strength. But I think we've found an alternative way."  
"Hmm - interesting," Keiko said as she walked over to the door and slid with her hand over the smooth surface. "This isn't Titan work. They can't make steel this smooth. This has to be developed by humans."  
"Humans? But?" I rose a brow.  
"Slaves, Aidra. The Tits've always been keeping human slaves to manufacture things for them." Polemos replied and looked even grimmer than usual.

Looking at the three sons of Ares I realized how different they all appeared. Polemos seemed to personify every cliché there was of the fearless commando soldier. The terminator, the one man army who ran ahead and eradicated way larger resistance. With his shaven head, square cheek, thin lips and tattoos in the neck he made Arnold Schwarzenegger look like a plush teddy bear. Then there was Ishiro, the proud Samurai, sharp as steel, intelligent and passionate. The gentleman who took pride in always playing it fair. And finally Romulus, the honorable knight and defender, the musketeer and the sea pirate. The snobbish Secret Service agent. Not only the founder of the metropolis Rome but also the man behind a lot of games and plots to change the course of foremost Europe. He had been the role model for both Lancelot, D'Artagnan and James Bond, and while he looked like a rather spoilt dandy, nothing could be more wrong. Rom had his killer instinct intact, and he never backed off a good fight.

Then there were the twin daughter of Ares. Proioxis and Palioxis. They were the same on the other hand. The tough tomboy girls with the nasty attitude and outfits from hell, all leather and studs. At first notion you got scared by them, but they turned out to be charming and reliable and great friends, trustworthy in all weathers. And they were constantly brabbling, however in a good natured way.

"Leave the door for now," Ishiro said. "Now, we're going through, using this other way."  
"But first a little note for the last gang," Keiko said. "Since I didn't see the cigarette pack of Kumiko, Narion, Paradox and Akheloios." By those words Keiko tore off a sheet from her notebook, scribbled some words upon it and fastened it to the door with a magnet as if it was a fridge. Then we left the large cave and followed Ishiro, climbing up the steep, wet wall, trying with all our might to avoid levitating which was hard enough since the wall was very hard to ascend the 'regular' way. When I finally heaved myself up on a flat area and wriggled out of my backpack to push it ahead of me through a narrow hole, I felt my fingers aching. On the other side Keiko reaching out to haul the backpack through and I followed, crawling through the hole. Then I turned and helped to pull over Polemos' backpack before grabbing my own, sliding around and near a wall, a three meter fall, which made it almost impossible to not use levitation to break the force of gravity. As I landed on my hands and knees down below I heard Polemos grunt behind me:

"Fuck! I'm stuck!"  
"Best poetry today!" Keiko joked next to me and I giggled and then I heard some huffing, cursing and grunting as someone probably pushed the bulky god trough from behind.

Meanwhile Keiko and I rounded some boulders - and then the view took my breath away. There it was - Meknat! Larger than I had expected. Thousands and thousands electric and magic lights burning against the endless night of the underground (This place didn't have the fake sun of Babylon). Neat orders of straight lanes and square blocks with houses, some surging high in the air others only two or three stores. The place looked beautiful from up here, and I almost regretted the thought of having to destroy it. There were certainly parents and children down there, people who loved each other and wanted their sweet little lives to go on uninterrupted. Then I reminded myself that the very same thing hadn't stopped the Titans from going after the humans. Once again I called up the memory of the poems by the 9/11 memorial in Stockholm and the loss of my old schoolmate Micha the firefighter, who had died while trying to put out the fires in the World Trade Center.

That had been the doing of the Titans. And now it was payback time.

"Okay," Ishiro said. "We split up again here. According to our earlier plans, Alala, Saxa, Androkles and Xantos are to settle somewhere on the opposite spot from this place. I, Aidra, Palioxis and Proioxis will walk counterclockwise to approximately 90 degrees from here and Polemos' group does the same bit clockwise. We've got a bit more than five hours to A-hour. That'll give us plenty of time to relax before we go into battle. Make sure to eat as well!"  
"Aye aye, sir!" Polemos saluted him, and if it had been anyone else doing that, I'd guessed the gesture being slightly sarcastic. But Pol never joked about military things. That was simply not in his nature.

After a few sparse nods and 'Hi's we parted into the original sub-groups again and Ishiro took the lead counter-clockwise around the city of Meknat. Thus we found us following narrow goat parts at the best and climbing on the rock outcroppings at worst. I slipped several times and lost my footing and had to levitate to not fall down in the abyss, but I was far from the only one and I guess it was necessary to stretch the rules just slightly to get to the desired point on time.

On time, by the way, when we settled on a rock outcropping we judged as reasonable 'three-o'-clock' we still had almost five hours to wait. So we brought out food rations and pretended that we was in a Guide Rouge Restaurant and enjoyed Champagne and caviar, while looking out over the city we were soon going to demolish. While we waited I asked Ishiro how he and Keiko met.

0*o*o*0

"Well," the Japanese said and looked out over the Titan city. "It's quite a long story. She's originally a member of the Japanese pantheon. A great granddaughter to Amaretasu, goddess of the sun and one of many lovers of grandpa Zeus, although Keiko is not from that line. The time I first met her, I didn't know I was the son of Ares. I grew up under the protection of my maternal grandfather who was a renowned samurai with the house of Mitsowara. When I was twelve my grandfather was killed in action, serving the Lord Daimyo Mitsowara Keimu. Accordingly my mother and I were provided with a kind of pension which would grant us security until I grew up to be able to serve the house of Mitsowara myself. I remember asking about my father, but my mother always told me he was dead. She kept referring to Aresu-san as just another samurai who had died when duty called him. I never questioned that, I was far from alone in that situation. During the years of my upbringing there was a lot of plays for power going around among the feudal lords of Japan. With the emperor in Kyoto weakened, the law of the sword ruled and the one with the most and sharpest swords in command would eventually become the victor in those power games.

Being twelve I was about to start learning for real how to serve my master. At that time my mother told me she would give me the gift from Aresu-san, and she rolled away a tatami carpet and opened up a secret trap door in the floor. That concealed door opened down to a tiny cellar, not larger than one times four feet. And there it was, in a box of iron containing a box of wood, containing a sheet of silk - the most magnificent katana-wakizashi pair I had ever seen back then, and which still rivals by few. My mother told me that Aresu-san had given this to her, to give to her son when he was 2/3 man. I can still remember the pride in my heart that day when I accepted the magnificent gift of my lost father. The one she always referred to as Aresu-san, as if there really hadn't been any intimacy between the two of them.

The following years I learned to use those swords. To become the master fencer my grandfather had been and who my mother told me Aresu-san had been as well. Hard schooling, from before dawn in the morning 'til late in the night. With some time for philosophy, self-understanding and general physical disciplines in between. During those years there were few distractions, I hardly even saw my mother. Yet there was this girl who was checking me out. This enigma. I never really saw her, just a glitter of an obsidian eye here, a piece of red silk there, a sparkle of a gemstone or a pearl. The ringing of tittering laughter from around the corner or down a flight of stairs. I was always wondering, thinking about her, trying to figure out who she was. This was not an ordinary girl, so much did I understand. Still I could not let her presence distract me, so I tried to push her to the back of my head.

A few years later I found myself as a samurai serving Keimu's son Yimu. Daimyo Mitsowara Yimu was a harsher and much more demanding master than his father ever had been and he was more inclined on advancing than keeping what he had. The Mitsowara county was not enough for him; he was casting his greedy glances towards his neighboring Tokusatsu. Thus I ended up marching off to my first war. The first one in a long row serving Mitsowara Yimu. But eventually Lord Mitsowara Yimu bit over a bit more than he could chew, going up against the powerful neighbor Masayime. This old fart was not only rich and equipped with much more men than Mitsowara. Masayime had his own specialty, the secret assassins. Killers for hire. The ones who later came to be known as ninjas. Masayime sent one of them after Lord Mitsowara to literally kill competition. At that time I had raised in rank quite a bit by proving myself in battle and saving my Lord's live at least five times. I was also being known as 'the man who couldn't die' for surviving some very severe experiences. So I had received the honor to dine with my master that night, together with more than our fair share of beautiful and talented ladies. Ladies who sang and danced and played music, and also being there to provide us with other things later in the night. Or so was the plan at least.

When the assassin arrived, we were well into our late hours and my Lord Mitsowara was more than reasonably drunk. I, on the other hand, was sober. I had learned to keep myself sober in spite of an extensive intake of alcoholics - at that time I didn't know it was a divine trait, I thought it was just a question of discipline. So once the black clad man sneaked inside and attacked I rose up and threw myself at him with the plans of doing my duty and getting myself in the way between the killer's blade and my master. I was so convinced that I should do it, could do it and that I would die that night. But instead - the strangest thing happened. As I threw myself at the killer I saw the steel of his katana shine - and then I heard it snap against my unprotected body, snap in half. And it wasn't a bad blade, on the contrary - it was made of the finest of steel. In spite something had saved me - and I had not the slightest idea what it was. Neither did my Lord. He was flabbergasted. And the assassin - well he did what men of his kind do at these times - he took his life, slashed his belly open, spilling his guts on the cedar floor. Scaring the crap out of the young ladies who were fainting around me like so many flowers when the surprising snow storms arrive in April the odd years.

And I was there - alive! At that moment I understood that there was more than one strange thing with me and my life. Someone - or something had saved me. I comprehended that this was a message pointing me in a further direction than being a mere samurai, serving Mitsowara. There were duties for me waiting elsewhere, and I had to find my way to that place. I managed to care for my mother and hand in my resignation, simply because I had once more saved my master's life. Lord Mitsowara was not glad to let me go of course. On the other hand he had been there too - seen the mysterious way with which my life had been saved and how the sword had snapped in half. He had seen it for the divine intervention it truly was, understanding why I had to leave his service. He knew that I had to find out what my life was about. I had to seek the truth! So I took my brilliant swords, my father's gift, and marched off and eventually I arrived at a temple where I was welcome to seek peace and meditation. And perhaps the truth about myself.

It was in that holy place she returned. On my second year with the monks she came back. As strange as it might sound, I knew it was her the very first moment she arrived. I knew it was my secret enigma who had checked me out now and then. From my teens, all through my samurai years and then disappearing a few years before I left Mitsowara - only to return now. She was not a woman of ceremonies at that time, has never been to be true. She searched me out in bed and we made love and then she put me to sleep. Several night she came like that, and said almost nothing, but busied her lips with other things. Used them for things I hadn't even know you could do with lips until then, even though I had had my fair share of oirans. Afterwards she was always gone before I knew it. Once or twice I tried to ask her questions, tried to figure out who she was and where she had come from. Yet she never revealed anything, she just giggled and put her elegant finger to my lips, telling me to not ask her anything more. Which was unbearable of course. So after a year of the most wonderful - and the most frustrating nights, and not getting anywhere nearer the truth about myself, I decided to do something. About her as well as myself.

So I rigged a trap - I guess you've heard the story about how my uncle Hephaestos rigged a net and trapped his wife Aphrodite when she was cuckolding him together with my old man. Well, I didn't know about that event back then, but my solution was a bit similar. I mounted a net in my bed and when my mystery woman came the next time I let down the net upon us, snaring her, telling her that I would not let her go until she told me who she was and if she wanted anything more with me than sex. It was the hardest thing I had done in my life so far, even harder than the decision to sacrifice myself to save Mitsowara Yimu. That had been pure samurai autopilot, that was what we guys did. Dying while saving our lords was the height of honor. But this - this was something else, something I had no idea what to do about. A whole new situation. I really wanted to know who this lady was. At the same time I was so scared of losing her. So when she started crying it was as if all my fears had come true. She told me I had to let her go and that she could never visit me again after this. So I held her and asked her the obvious question - why?

I also confirmed that my lips would stay sealed. That I would rather commit seppuku than to reveal who she was, my enigma. So after a few more tears she told me she was a goddess and that she had come to me because she loved me. That she was enchanted by me. But that she would have to leave me now. Now that I knew. Then I grabbed her wrists, asking her: 'If you are a goddess, milady, can you explain this to me?' Then I told her about the event with the assassin of Mitsowara Yimu. And she just shook her head and said the very same name as my mother.  
"It's because of Aresu-san. And that's why I cannot come back anymore. Now please don't try to hold me here, because you cannot and I'd hate to hurt you. Please let me go, Ishiro-san!" So I had to - and then she was gone.

I left the temple not soon after, in search for her of course. My enigma. My goddess. Not only because I needed her but also since I knew that she was my only way to the truth. No meditation, no nothing could give me that. Nothing but her. So for years I struggled across Japan. Like a rhonin, a shadow, a strange and sad being. During those years I realized I couldn't be killed. Not by blades, not by poison or illnesses. Or other kind of perils. That was a petty consolidation, my heart hurt like a million of sword wounds. Broken and shattered in pieces as I walked from temple to temple, trying to reach my goddess, the woman of my heart. To tell her I was sorry and that I'd do anything to have her back. And in my wake legends were told about the Indigo Rhonin (because of my outfit, a dress I got from the monks in the first temple and modified a bit to make it more fit for travelling and battling.) The strange man who fought for justice and saved so many lives but who always was gone when he was supposed to be rewarded. I couldn't accept any rewards, I had lost my face and felt like a doomed. Like an outcast, an immortal freak of nature.

Then I met him. The Candyman God. A sole traveler like myself. A trickster. A bit like a Japanese Dionysos. We met because he bet me in dices. And I ended up asking him about the goddess who had run off with my sanity. And he told me he knew her. The lady Keiko, hiding in her ivory tower, heartbroken as well.  
"So take me to her!" I asked. And when he said 'no' I threatened him in a very immature way, but he just laughed because neither he could be harmed. He only told I had to show her I was of noble blood. And then he told me to go looking for my father.  
"Aresu-san? But he's dead."  
"Do you really think so?"  
"After 200 years he ought to be."  
"Yet you aren't."  
"No but..."  
"Then know this, young man! Aresu-san, as you call him, is very much alive as well. Go to the island of the Gates of the Olympians. Go through the Gates, you will be admitted, you will be expected even. Ask for the God of War. He'll give you what you need."

The Candyman God told me how to find that place I only thought existed in myths. The home of the golden haired gods. The islands beyond sunrise. I had to fly to the mythical island and pass through the Magic Gate, there was no other way to get there. When I laughed at The Candyman God, told him men cannot fly he chuckled back and showed me how to do it. How to raise on your legs and then continue to raise in the air. He told me to dress in the whitest of silk, to let out my hair, not wearing a samurai's knot and to bring my katana and wakizashi to show them to Ares.

A fortnight later, when I had mastered flying and got my white tunic - whiter than snow or the clouds in the sky - I was brought up on a rock facing the sea. The sun had set behind us and the constellation named Orion was halfway up in the sky. Back then I didn't know the constellation had a name, and that I would soon meet the man it had been named after. The Candyman God pointed out the belt, told me to fly in that direction and never waver. He told me I would reach The Gates to Olympia when two hours of the night had passed and when the moon was just beginning to raise. He told me to not hesitate, that when the moonlight would begin to shine it was time for me to go through and seek audience with my father. Then he said farewell, and it would take centuries until I saw him again.

The day after I was standing before Ares - my father - for the first time in my life. And yes, he was very much alive. Alive an awe-imposing for this lonely old rhonin. I remember kneeling on the floor the way a samurai pay respect to his master, because at that time Ares just vibed 'master' to me. He was just not a Daimyo but a Shogun! A master of war. Aresu-sama! Yet he was having nothing of that behaviour, almost angered he told me to raise. Then he taught me an imperative lesson. He said that the sons of Ares should never have to kneel down to anyone. Not even to their father. Absolutely not their father. That was not respect. That was cowardice. Thus I got my first lesson in the Greek way.  
"There's only one time when a son of Ares may bow down on his knees, and that's when he purpose to the woman he loves."

Those words hit me like a bolt. It was as if my father knew why I was here. Not foremost to pay him due respect, but to ask for his help, and once again I felt shame burn upon my cheeks.

The second lesson in the Greek way I got soon enough when I showed him his gift, those wonderful swords, begging for forgiveness that I had let them become dented and worn. Ares just replied that this meant that they had come to well use. Then somehow I managed to make him understand why I had come, that I wanted this Japanese goddess. I was so scared of his scorn but what Ares did was coming up to me, laying his strong arm around my shoulders the way only old comrades in arms did from where I came. People from the same class. Then he told me that love was one of the strongest forces in the universe, and it was no wonder that it had required of me to leave everything I had and cross land and water to try to find the object for my romancing. He told me he envied me this burning heart, because while he had loved so many times, he could tell by look in my eyes that while he just had found passion, I have found the Greatest Love - the second half of me. The mate every man and every god spend their lives looking for. Then my father gave me an amulet, and made me promise that when I had found and received my lady I would bring her here. Take her through the Gate to meet the Olympian gods who were as much a part of me as the Japanese soil where I had walked for two centuries. Finally he told me where to go to find the Japanese gods, and that place was not at all where I had expected it to be.

So I went back to Japan. Flying this time, trying and failing to find The Candyman God to give him my thanks. As I passed through Mitsowara I could see that it had been conquered by some feudal lord who's name had been less than insignificant in the days of Mitsowara Yimu. I couldn't care less. My only regret was that I could not tell my mother that I had finally found my father.

Then, a month later, I passed through another portal and entered another pantheon, the Japanese one, showing the amulet of Ares to the gods there. They accepted me in, took me across their lovely gardens to let me meet Keiko. She could hardly believe it when she saw me first. She had known I was immortal of course, that was why she had checked me out the first time. First out of pure curiosity and then because she had fallen for me. Only to run away because she feared that I might just be a genetic anomaly and not considered worthy a goddess of Japan. Later she had learned of Aresu-san, and returned to me, but still not knowing the significance of my father she had been afraid to reveal her real identity.

Now it became my turn to put my finger to her lips, silencing her. After that I took her hand, forced her to look in my eyes for real this time, telling her to toss shyness overboard and tell me if she felt the same as I did. This burning desire to bound and never ever part. She had been hesitant only for a second, then a smile had lit up her beautiful face and she had nodded - silently first and then with a clear, ringing 'yes'. And I had held her in my arms once more and after the first hours of insecurity she and I have been inseparable.

And Ares - well he and I learned mutual respect and then father/son love after a while. "

After that Ishiro turned to me and asked for my story, refusing to accept my words about it being far from interesting to listen to. So the next hour I spent telling him about my life. The story about a cop who became a goddess. Then it was time. Time for battle.


	23. Let's tear this whole place down!

**Let's tear this whole place down!**

The large building went up in a blast before me as Ishiro without hesitation threw a huge magic ball at it. His tactic was to hit fast and hard, start with everything we got, and no worry about tiring, since he figured the Titans would tire first. So we went right into to the city of Meknat, unstoppable and powered by the fury over what these people had done against ours for centuries and centuries. If I had doubted a second about what I was doing, such feelings were soon swept away as I heard my comrades near me let out their war cries and saw them engage whatever enemies they met. We were fully intent on leveling Meknat to the ground or at least render it uninhabitable.

Proioxis, Palioxis and I followed Ishiro down a broad street, blasting everything we saw with either magic fire bolts or regular grenades. Those grenades were nothing we carried with us, they were located in large wooden crates in Ares's basement armory back in New York City, but the war god had taught us exactly where they were and how to retrieve them through magic subspace, how to make them end up in a firm grip in our hands so we could pull the plugs and threw them away at whatever object we desired to destroy. So up went houses and vehicles, up went bridges, silos, staircases and structures I had no idea what use they served. Severed pipes were spewing water everywhere and fires were raging. And among us those Titans died like flies. I had lost body count a long time ago.

Our screaming quartet met no real resistance, which I found odd, but apparently we had taken the Titans by surprise and now they were mostly running away from us while screaming. A few however came against us with rifles or machetes but they weren't prepared for what they were facing and were firing unsuccessfully at our divine body shielding, bullets ricocheting in all directions and destroying even more of their town. When a small van with what appeared to be city guards arrived Palioxis waited just a few breaths to let them disembark their vehicle before she did an amazing stunt by lighting a fire ball in her hand and blowing hard and slow at it, making the flames flying right at the guards and engulfing them in an inferno. Two guards got away though, screaming:  
"A dragon bitch, a dragon bitch!" When Proioxis raised her gun to fire at them, Ishiro was there and laid his hand on her arm:  
"Let them run with their bad news, terror is a good companion in war," he grinned and Proioxis nodded silently, something wicked glowing in her black eyes.

When we turned a corner and came across a cabin bane, it became my time to show off. Smirking I drew my revolver and fired one single bullet. It hit the wire which snapped in two and the cabin on its way upwards from the abyss below went crashing back down again much more violent than the ascent.  
"Wow!" I heard Palioxis call out behind me. "Aidra! Your aim is da shit!"

Ishiro urged us on, and we kept destroying things in our wake.  
"Going anywhere particular?" I asked.  
"Just downtown," the samurai replied. "More people there, larger structures, more important things to destroy. More important people to kill."

The next second a huge explosion shook the whole area, almost like an earthquake and Ishiro grinned from ear to ear.  
"A-ha, someone has apparently found that water reservoir I talked about yesterday. Now it's only a question of time before the lower levels get flooded. "  
"How will that affect us?" I asked as I lobbed yet another grenade at what appeared to be a kind of shopping mall. That one was rather sturdy, I only managed to blast the huge, gothic doors, so I followed up with a fireball which went through the newly created opening, setting the place on fire.  
"We'll have to start flying soon," was Ishiro's short comment as Palioxis raised a glowed hand ahead and pointed:  
"Is that what we want?"

I looked in said direction and found myself staring at what appeared to be a steep Mayan-styled pyramid with a kind of shining circle or orb on the top. It wasn't really a high-rise, it had been hidden by other buildings earlier, but it looked impressive nevertheless, since it had 'official' written all over it, like all those buildings across the USA which tried to look like offspring to the House of Congress. Ishiro confirmed my thoughts:  
"Yeah, it's the Meknat City Hall."  
"We're taking it?" I asked.  
"You bet your ass," the son of Ares replied. "Hopefully the others haven't got there yet."  
"Okay, last one in is Kronos," Proioxis called out and started rushing onwards.

O0O0O

As we reached the large square in front of the City Hall building we encountered more organized resistance for the first time since our arrival. Small squads with armed Titans came at us with axes, clubs, maces, blades and the odd guns. That meant we suddenly got a lot more to do. Luckily we also got company by some of our own. Androkles, Saxa, Xantos and Alala came running in from the north, calling out their war cries as Androkles fired off some blue kind of fire, drawing the Titans attention immediately to them. That gave us a chance to finish off some of 'our' Titans faster than we had expected to do, and Ishiro called back at our comrades:

"Welcome to the war! Tell me how you're doing!"  
"We're rocking, man!" Xantos called back as he swung his large war axe. The Titans were backing off from the black god rapidly; apparently afraid of his looks as much as of his fighting skills. I sort of understood them, there were no darker coloured people amount the Titans, in fact they ranged from a grayish completion to Mediterranean olive hues. While Xantos' skin colour was obsidian like tar, he was actually the blackest man I think I've ever seen. On top of that Xantos was huge and bare-chested and covered in a whitish war paint which shone with luminescence in black-light. A black-light which obviously came from the blue fire sprouting from Androkles' hands. Parts of Xantos' mohawk shone with that colour as well, as did the lenses he had covered his eyes with - all in all he looked like a fearsome being, as if he had stepped right out of a nightmare.

Saxa was dressed up as well, she wore a skin-tight crimson leather outfit studded with sharp iron needles and she had coloured her hair the same hue and added extensions as well as small chains and some kind of plastic tubes to it. Add to that a Kiss-inspired makeup and she too looked like she had appeared from the eight level of hell, or at least like she was going to a concert with some obscure neo-punk act. Androkles and Alala though looked more 'normal' in utilitarian camouflage and heavy boots, although they too fought like daemons. Add to that Alala's shrill war cries, which could turn blood to ice.

Naturally we Olympians closed in on each other and formed an octagon of fighters who circled the large square, eliminating resistance as we went. This proved a bit sweaty though, now more and better armed Titans had arrived, obviously defending their city hall with all in their might. Consequently I found myself pulling my blades and entering close combat. Yet the very first Titan I met was big and strong and had me actually forced down on my knees. When he lifted his studded iron war club to smash it down at me, I remember a lesson I had got early in my trainings, something Kyknos had taught me in South America. I threw myself to the side and kicked up with my feet, hitting the beast in a strategic place. Then, while he was busy crying out in pain, I changed one of the blades to my left hand and pulled a short knife which I used to cut off my adversary's achilean tendons. Thus the beast was unable to remain standing and fell over backwards and Palioxis next to me smashed his scull in pieces.

At the same time I became attacked from behind and someone caught my right hand where I held both my swords, forcing me to drop them and then hooking his right arm around my neck, trying to strangle me. But I still had my knife and I buried it deep down in the flesh of the arm that was gripping me. At the same time I bowed forward fast, tipping the foe over me so he lost balance by my sudden movement and fell over. In an instant I twisted to the right and managed to roll free and used my telekinesis to retrieve the swords. Backing off a few meters I did a quick evaluation of the situation before attacking the nearest beast, to make sure I held the initiative. With a scream I launched myself at a Titanesse with shaven head and evil gray eyes. As she turned and met my blade I realized that I'd made a mistake, because she was so much better a sword fighter than me. She had me falling back several meters and right into a larger group of Titans. Once again I found myself falling down and losing my blades. Damn it, Aidra had become too cocky and now I was paying for it. With interest! I thought as something made of adamantine sliced away a large part of my right shoulder.

Bleeding I tried to slid away but there were too many enemies around me and in my distress I couldn't remember how to teleport into safety. Suddenly fires exploded everywhere and I screamed as a hand hard as steel gripped my unharmed arm and rapidly dragged me backwards. But when I tried to kick myself free from the new stranger, I was without further ceremonies pulled up into a standing position and there was Androkles handing over my blades as he emptied his rifle into a trio of advancing Titans.  
"Heal your shoulder and follow me, chica!" he ordered and I realized I had lagged behind, while the others had formed an arrowhead and were now fighting themselves slowly but unyielding towards the City Hall. I was not late in obeying Androkles and without as much as a glance backwards I started running, sheeting my swords and trading them for a machine gun which I grabbed trough time-space instead of the earlier one I had lost. Those Titans who came too close got a few bullets for supper.

Halfway to where the others were I realized I was stepping in water, and more of the same came flushing from the left, flooding upwards across the square. Could it really be the water from the blasted reservoir which had reached so far? Or was it some nearby water tower that had been destroyed? I decided to not dwell on that detail. Instead I cooperated the best I could with Androkles to catch up with the others, who weren't waiting. After all the Meknat City Hall was one of the decided primary targets. Now fury was filling my veins, I was so pissed for having goofed up earlier and I really wanted to prove myself, to make up for that. I wanted to send something like a regiment of Titans to Tartarus.

Androkles and I caught up with the others at the same time as they reached the broad stairs to the City Hall. Ishiro glanced slightly over at us as we arrived.  
"Good to see you again!"  
"Thanks," I grinned at the samurai as I felt the last of my skin patch together over the wound in the shoulder. It was still aching a bit but it was going to be fine in a minute or so. That was one of the best parts with my new, immortal existence, the fast healing. Less than ten minutes after having had the shoulder muscles ruined, they had become as good as new and not even with a scar tissue. I wouldn't even begin to ponder how long that would have taken had I been mortal. Not to mention that I might never be really well in that shoulder again. Smirking I fired the last round of bullets in a Titan who came running down the stairs with a big bazooka. After that I reached out through the magic dimensions against and grabbed new ammo from Ares' storage, refilling my rifle.

"Now, let's tear this whole place down!" Ishiro bellowed as we ascended the stairs to the City Hall. We all replied with a roar of agreement. Whatever, entering the City Hall was easier said than done, the Titans were even more eager to stop us now when we had got this far and only the huge bolted entrance doors seemed to be holding our attack back. At the same time several explosions rocketed the area and then a huge whistling sound was heard followed by another large explosion just above and ahead of us as a rocket was fired right into said doors. The next second we heard familiar war cries as yet another foursome caught up on us. This time it was Romulus, Polemos, Nerio and Keiko who came running across the square, which was now filled with water to an almost knee-high level. Polemos was the one holding the large rocket gun in his big right hand, while he was spraying bullets from a machine gun in his left hand, roaring as he went. Nerio was shooting as well and Keiko was fighting with her katanas, spinning and jumping through the air as she did so. Ishiro's wife was amazing when it came to maneuvering in the air.

Meanwhile Romulus had lagged behind a bit and now arriving Titans were concentrating on him. Just as I wondered if the founder of Rome was in some kind of trouble he let lose these electrokinetic powers which some of the Olympians had inherited from Zeus. He was firing the thunderbolts downwards, taking advantage of the fact that water is an extremely good electric conductor. As a result electrocuted Titans were falling all around him like tree trunks in a storm. When they fell Romulus ascended, like something out of a legend and was flying towards us, not wasting a single ounce of energy on showing off. Instead he was soon landing among the rest of us and followed through as we entered the City Hall through the destroyed doors with a band of enraged Titans tailing us. I hardly noticed the pompous vulgar-deco architecture which was as present indoors as outdoors, but I somehow grasped where the Nazis had got their inspiration. Pseudo-cubistic ornaments of griffons and dragons were not my idea of beauty and I was happy to waste a few bullets upon the head of a sphinx, even if that one was as stone cold as if it had faced bad old Medusa.

"Nice to see that the roles have been switched," Polemos laughed as he fired off volleys of bullets in the midst of our followers. "We, who always have been the defenders are now the attackers, and these goons don't really know what to do with that comprehension!"  
"Wow, Pol! You can say more than three words at a time," Keiko joked as she spun around and decapitated a Titan with her sharp katana.  
"You surprised, Japanese? Never learn white man can talk, eh?" Polemos bit back and shoot some more Titans. I hardly glanced over my shoulder, let them banter. Instead I followed Saxa and Xantos and ran up a broad staircase to see what interesting things the second floor held. Going by the sound of it, there were more Titans to shoot at.

When we entered the second landing we found two double doors open to a large assembly hall, already set on fire, the insatiable flame consuming furniture and drapes and blackening the green marble walls and the gold adorned ornaments.  
"Seems like that room's already been more than taken care of," Saxa said. "But I want to instigate some arson too. Come on, Aidra, let's move on to where the party is."  
"Aye aye," I replied and slung my rifle over my shoulder and we continued our onrush in the direction of the gun shots.

A few seconds later we turned a corner and there we found the twins engaging a larger force of Titans dressed in black uniforms with silvery details. The vulgo-nazi theme was present in the enemies outfits as well, and they called out to each other as our trio rounded the corner and took them on. Sword in hand I plowed right into the melee, dodging axes and broadswords, starting to feel that my understanding of the flow of the battle had improved. At least I was doing better than earlier down in the square.  
"Where's Ishiro and Androkles?" I asked Palioxis as I caught the eye of the daughter of Ares.  
"Went ahead upstairs, we couldn't keep up when these guys arrived," she replied and rammed her sword right in the guts of the aggressor.

"We told them to not wait, since we knew you guys were coming," Proioxis said as Saxa beheaded the Titan who had tried to wrestle her to the floor.  
"But there's got to be more fun here than that assembly hall, don't you think?" Saxa asked, panting slightly.  
"It sure does," Palioxis answered and spilled the guts of the last defender out on the floor. "We just have to find it."  
"Let's have a look around," I said just as Polemos came running down the corridor, huge sword in his hand and a fearsome look upon his face, as he was no doubt hoping to find more bad buys around.

I opened up the first door I could reach. Bingo! It led to a kind of library and we all rushed in, Saxa closing the door.  
"Can anyone of you make petrol?" I asked.  
"Sha'nt we see if there's anything valuable here to steal before you burn the place?" Proioxis asked.  
"And how exactly do you think we'd be able to carry books around in a battle?" Palioxis returned.  
"Can't we send them home the way we retrieve ammo and weapons here?" her sister huffed.  
"Yes we might," Xantos replied. "Only problem is that we don't know what might be worth something and what's just a Titan version of Alice in Wonderland."  
"Wonder what the Titan Mad Hatter might look like," Saxa giggled.  
"Perhaps the way you do!" Xantos said, touching one of her plastic hair tubes with a grin. Then he pulled his black hands together and started rubbing them and soon a clear liquid with a distinct smell started to seep from his palms.

"Spread it around, smear it!" He told us and as we obeyed by cupping our hands, filling them up and then walking over to the book shelves. Proioxis pointed out that now we might never know what the Mad Hatter really looked like in the Titan realm.  
"Not that anyone cares," replied Palioxis while she poured the content of her cupped hand across a low book shelf. Once again I got this sinking feeling in my belly that I was destroying valuable things. I wasn't just a killer of people but a destroyer of culture as well. Then that other voice inside of me told me that the Titans had started it. They had destroyed the original Library of Alexandria and if they hadn't, perhaps they might've been left alone with their Saxa-lookalike of Mad Hatter. Soon it became my turn to fill up my hands and carrying the inflammable content I walked up to the furthest book shelf. Then, after emptying my content over the books, I lifted a heavy chair and threw it out through the window next to me. A part of my brain was still marveling at my superhuman strength, that chair had been made out of solid oak and weighted roughly as much as a small scooter.

"We done?" I asked and got confirming replies from around me. At that moment I conjured up a fireball and threw it at the book shelf I had just poured petrol over. It caught fire like a torch and by that we all left the room and entered into an oddly empty hall. The only thing to be found here being the Titans we just had killed, lying immobile in their own blood on the floor.  
"Now where's the party?" Saxa enquired and made a face.  
"You did get your arson, Avalon girl!" I replied and she grinned back at me.  
"Now the Tit's don't dare coming here or what?" Polemos huffed.  
"Let's go get them instead," Palioxis suggested as she became the last one to leave the library, closing the door against the inferno in there.

O0O0O

Not much later were we right in the middle of it all again. We met up with Keiko, Nerio and Romulus who now had got company by the last foursome: Paradox, Narion, Kumiko and Akheloios. Now, we were fighting defenders who were apparently here to put out the fires which were spreading all over the building by now.  
"What kept you guys?" Xantos asked as he swung his heavy war axe in one wide swing, connecting with and cutting two Titans in half.  
"You'll see any minute," Akheloios replied and glanced at his watch as he fired a couple of bullets in a heavy brass cistern which a few Titans had just pushed through the doors. That one started to spew water and the Titans were crying out in rage, they had probably planned to use it to put out the fires with. Water by the way, the square outside was still more or less under water, I noted as I glanced out through the huge, smashed windows lining the walls in level with the second floor.

The next second I found myself facing my old enemy the gray-eyed and shaved woman again! She grinned evilly when she caught eyes of me and closed in against me, making a sound that could be nothing but scornful laughter. I forced myself to not betray any emotion as I engaged my foe and soon our blades were clashing. Had I been just a little bit faster I could have shot her, but too late for that now. Instead we were fencing, forgetting the rest of the world around us as we were both intend on finishing the other one. It seemed as my foe still had an upper hand because she was using her strength and superhuman skills to forcing me backwards, making me retreat along the tiled floor which was now slippery with water, blood and various kinds of gore I didn't want to know more about. To avoid her from cutting into my belly I had to somersault backwards several times, and every time I landed I almost slipped on the greasy floor. Hence I found myself levitating more than necessary.

The next second everything around us went dark when the electricity suddenly went out and I understood in an instance that this was what Akheloios had meant by his 'You'll see any minute'. He and his pals had probably put a time bomb somewhere along the electricity grid and most likely the whole town had lost its power at the moment. Now the only light came from the raging fires and firing gun mussles. Good work, I thought. My opponent's moment of surprise lasted a bit longer than mine and I caught the small opportunity window to lash out and cut her deep in the torso. I almost severed a breast of her, turning her into a real amazon. My enemy screamed out loud and came against me with even more passion, trying with all her might to finish me off, while holding on to her bleeding torso with her right hand. Now she had only one blade since she had dropped one, while I still had two. As a result I could use that opening to force her backwards.

Still the gray eyed was still not without resources, suddenly she flashed off something which was so bright it actually blinded me since I had enhanced my night vision after the power fail. As I struggled back I felt her blade connect with my shielding, but since it wasn't Adamantine it didn't pierce it, it only flashed off a tiny firework of orange sparkles. But this time I actually fell, not because of the slippery floor but because I tripped over the body of a dead Titan. With a roar she was over me, but I rolled to the side, kicking her belly as I went. In that instance something else happened. A large explosion was reverberating through the building and the next second the floor we were on collapsed and I found myself falling before I got myself together and levitated myself up again. I lost a sword but was able to retrieve it kinetically.

As I looked around for my foe she was nowhere to be found. Either she had been hit by rubble, rendered unconscious or fled.  
"Coward," I snarled even though no one could hear it. Then I started looking around or my comrades. Not far from me, standing on a bannister to a stair up to the third floor I spotted Saxa who was defending herself against three or four foes, and I decided to help her out. She was jumping fiercely to get away from their blades, and kicking one of them in the chin with one of her steel-shod boots.  
"You suckers," she yelled at the Titans as she beheaded another. "I'm having my PMS and you are making me twice as mad now!"

"Good for us, that's the fuel we need!" I laughed as I finished off the other two. And Saxa grinned at me:  
"How about you, New Yorker? You look mad as well."  
"Tell you later," I promised and then we continued upstairs, and there we joined Polemos, Narion and Proioxis who had also run out of enemies and were smashing furniture instead and then picking up the scraps and throwing them out of the windows, smashing them as well.  
"Where's the Tits?" I asked.  
"Haven't you noticed?" Polemos asked. "The smoke. They cannot breath in here anymore."

Next second we got a fierce order spoken in our minds.  
"All Olympians leave the City Hall and regroup on the roof to the dome building opposite the square." That was Ishiro. Apparently had he found that there was nothing more to see and do here and now. So the five of us ended our vandalism, which really added nothing to the complete picture anyhow, and jumped out of the nearest window, Narion hurling a fireball behind him for good measure.

O0O0O

"Okay, we have some six hours left on our mission of destruction," Ishiro said and took his eyes from the burning City Hall and regarded the rest of us. Some were still standing but most of us had sat down to rest on the flat roof next to the dome.  
"Not more?" Akheloios lifted a brow.  
"Time flies when you're having fun, you know," Kumiko replied and looked up from the sharpening of her katana.  
"So what's next?" Paradox asked.  
"There's something like a railway station up there to the west," Ishiro pointed. "Half the group is going to destroy trains, tracks and communication centres there. That'll be me, Aidra, Proioxis, Saxa, Androkles, Xantos, Palioxis and Alala. The rest of you continue with the destruction of this downtown area. You may start with this building, it's a communal bath house."  
"I thought it was a temple or something." Palioxis said.  
"The Titans have no such things," Ishiro explained. "Now before we move on, let's eat a bit!"

O0O0O

This 'train station' looked nothing like its human equivalent. There was no station house, no waiting platforms and most of all no travelers. Not a soul in sight! The tracks were stopping by a large concrete area where some small, mobile staircases were the probable means to get off the trains. However there were no train in, the only thing seen was a small trolley with big rolls with wires upon. Annoyed Androkles fired off a grenade and blasted the trolley into smithereens.  
"What action may we expect here?" he asked Ishiro who looked as much at lost as the rest of us.  
"Seems like this place wasn't as impressive as I first thought. Then again, the Titans aren't that much of a travelling race. They tend to stay at home. It's not uncommon for a Titan to be born, grow up, start a family and then die in the same part of the town. Some even live their whole life in the same block."

"Huh - boring," I said as I looked around, not seeing anything of interest.  
"Yeah, like this place. Seems as exciting as the river Styx on a Monday morning," Alala pointed out.  
"Or perhaps not, listen!" Androkles said and nodded his head in the direction from where the tracks came. And then we heard it too, a steady and fast pounding of wheels upon tracks. A train was coming this way.  
"Hope it's Titan reinforcements," Saxa smirked. "I feel like kicking some more ass."  
"Let's see if you're right," Ishiro replied as two large and burning headlights became visible when the train turned a corner.


	24. Deeper and deeper underground

**Deeper and deeper underground**

We were all waiting with our rifles trained upon the vehicle while it slowed down and came to a halt almost at the end of one of the three tracks stopping here. Androkles had wanted to blow the train to pieces but Ishiro had told him to wait, saying something about 'gut feeling'. Hercules' buff son had scoffed at that but complied and instead just remained standing with the rocked gun firmly hold in both hands. It was just as well, because it was eight of our guys who spilled out from the foremost coach!

Penthesileia was leading a group who's task had been to attack a city somewhere north of here, almost beneath central China. Now she and seven of her comrades were exiting the train: Palaistra, Theosoris, Lysandros, Elaos, Enyalios, Astyokhe and Anaximachos. When we saw them we lowered our weapon and greeted them instead.  
"What bring you here?" Ishiro asked with risen brows.  
"This train, what do you think, samurai?" his sister grinned before turning serious. "We've found the freakiest something - you won't believe it. But we're going to need reinforcements to take it. The others from my group are getting in position to attack while we decided to come and get you guys. So whatever you're finished or not with this backwater den, you're needed further north now."

"Leia!" Ishiro replied, with a serious voice. "What can be so important that you think you can start ordering me around?"  
"Are you guys done here or not?"  
"Depends."  
"Meh - get real now!"  
"Well pardon me if I don't follow every Amazon whim of yours, but I want to know if what you've found is important enough for us to change our plans, abandon our duties here and come with you instead. I think I speak for everyone when I desire to know what you have found before I decide anything."  
"Well, does the word 'slave camp' trigger your interest then, bro? Or are you more interested in 'gold mine'?"  
"What?" the Japanese wrinkled his brow and among the rest of us murmurs were heard.

"What slave camp?" Saxa asked aloud.  
"The largest hell hole I've ever seen," Enyalios said and pocketed his hands in his gray leather coat, shaking his head so his purple mohawk was swaying. "I think they have almost 100 000 mortals down there working that mine of theirs. Mostly Chinese and Russians, but also some Mongolians, Indians, Pakistani and Iranians could be felt."  
"I think most of them are the off-spring to all those people who disappeared during the Chinese so called cultural revolution," Palaistra said. "It wasn't the Communist party who did it. It was the Titans. Again."

"Although, I'm certain the Titans worked closely with the Chinese Commies." said Enyalios. "After all Mao Tse-Dhung was ¼ Titan."  
"Really!" I asked. "I had no idea! Who...?"  
"His grandfather," Androkles replied next to me.

"So are you guys coming or not?" the Amazon asked.  
"When you put it like this, dear sister," Ishiro grinned and bowed towards Penthesileia. "How can a poor man resist? Just let me get the rest of our gang over here! They're destroying the remaining parts of the town Meknat as we speak."

O0O0O

Twenty minutes later we were on our way again, leaving behind us a town which was more or less destroyed, thousands of dead Titans in our wake. I could only begin to consider the Titan reaction if this was the case in eleven other cities, not to mention the six ones which according to plans were to be annihilated by magic. Now the Titans were getting a bitter taste their own medicine. We were giving them 9/11 back, and with interest.

The train was travelling alongside meandering tracks, first trough this enormous cavity where we could still see the smoke billowing up from the burning structures downtown, an orange hue lighting up the sky. Then we entered a tunnel and it all became pitch dark outside the train windows. Now I got a sort of claustrophobic feel, as if this kind of underground was so much worse than the one had been out in the big city cave. This darkness felt like suffocating, like shrinking and squeezing against my lungs. Not that it really were no reason to worry, these tunnels were probably as old as the London subway. Besides, even if the tunnel should collapse we could always get away, using teleportation. That was quite an effort, but very much doable. After all I had trained this quite a bit, from empty corners of the New York subway for instance, just to reassure me that tons and tons of stone was no problem if I just knew where I was going. The thing was that one never went through the stone but 'beyond' it through the magic dimensions. Regardless I kept on looking out those windows as if I wanted to reassure myself that the stone walls wouldn't start to contract if I turned my head. Not that I would see it coming of course.

"Where are we going anyway?" Paradox asked. She was sitting opposite of Penthesileia, using magic to get blood stains off her clothes.  
"Karunega," the Amazon replied and looked around the coach where most of us were sitting. Some had taken the seats in the coach behind, mostly those who were tired and wanted to nap. But I was too winded up to be able to sleep. Not to mention that I had to watch those walls.  
"And that's where they keep this prison camp?" Narion asked.  
"Well, it's not exactly a prison camp," Penthesileia replied. "Even if the human inhibitors are prisoners. It's more of a labour camp or a slave camp. A mine where the Titans dig for gold."  
"What for?" Kumiko wanted to know. "Titans don't use gold for anything really. They pay with a kind of aluminum bullets and they don't care that much for the yellow metal."  
"To trade with humans of course." Androkles answered. "After all the Titans do need things the humans produce, and they can't steel everything. They might expose themselves then. And that's something they fear more than ever."

"Why?" I asked. "When they are so much more powerful than the mortals?"  
"True, but there are so many more mortals out there around the globe." Androkles replied. "Having all those weapons the Titans lack. Just imagine a couple of nukes in as many Titan towns. Not even with all their magic can they defend against that. Those modern atomic weapons are just too powerful for Titan magic."  
"So how come we didn't nuke the Titan cities instead of going in like this then, using magic and conventional weapons?" Proioxis asked and drank from her water bottle.

"Say eighteen nukes in as many Titan cities would mean enormous powers being let lose," Ishiro began, recapping what Ares had told earlier, before this venture started. "Imagine all those megatons being set off underground. Anything could happen. We might create earthquakes and tsunamis like never before, we might make the Earth surface collapse, open up the planet core or change the planets course through universe, making it crash against the sun or disappear out in the endless space, away from the Solar system. Any of those events would be disastrous for the planet and the life upon it. Although such a risk might not stop the most short-minded and stubborn gung-ho mortals. That's why it's so important to keep the existence of the Titan realm secret."

"So this slave camp mine, what's it like?" Proioxis backtracked the conversation.  
"Awful," Astyokhe replied and turned around in her seat, hanging over the backboard and regarding the rest of us. "Imagine a super-Gulag or a super Auschwitz, filled with mostly Asians. Starved, beaten, broken and sick people toiling until they fall down dead, and then the bodies are left where they are only to be taken away later and used for fuel and for food for the rest. Imagine no hospitals, no schools, no leisure time, no fun, no laughter, no playing children. Imagine people just working, sleeping and eating. And sometimes breeding just to have children to grow up to become new labour in the mine. No childhood, no fun, no nothing to look forward to. Even fatlings lead a better life. And these people know nothing better, they don't know there's another world outside, above and beyond. A world with a sun and a moon, a world with oceans, grass, hills, beaches, birds, butterflies, rainbows and great food and beverage. A world with places to rest in and enjoy."

"Perhaps it's for the better," Alala replied in a moody voice. "That they don't know, I mean."  
"I bet they can imagine," Proioxis guessed. "Our human race has always built a lot of its existence upon fantasy and imagination. Creating and playing in their imaginative worlds. I'm sure that even if those poor sods down in the mine don't know what the world is like beyond, they can sure imagine a better place somewhere else."  
"On top of that there seems to be newcomers being brought in now and then," Enyalios told. "We saw at least one truck load coming in as we were watching the place."  
"Where would they come from?" Palioxis wondered.  
"Kidnapped victims." Enyalios replied. "People do disappear here and there, and in the highly populated, poor countries it's quite easy to sneak away a few people now and then and take them underground."  
"Awful," I said.

Our discussion continued around that subject for a while as the train continued, deeper and deeper into the black nothingness, and going downwards as well. Not much but you could sense the sloping tracks if you paid attention. In spite of this slight fear of being trapped in the tunnels I soon found tiredness sneaking up upon me. Resting my head against the wall, I closed my eyes and I must have dozed off because I was clearly dreaming things. Dreaming of fighting Titans, of burning city halls and train stations. And about that bald, gray eyed Titanesse with whom I still had a few bones to pick.

The next I knew, Proioxis was gently patting me on the shoulder:  
"Aidra, you hungry?" Replying with a nonsense monosyllable, I stretched and rubbed my eyes. I realized I felt sticky and gory all over and I longed for a hot bath or at least a shower. But I guessed none of these things were to be found on this train. Theosoris, who had been driving so far had been released by Anaximachos and Saxa and Romulus had entered our coach as well, looking a bit rested although not really fit for fight yet.  
"Ration bars," Alala sighed behind me, making a face like she had tasted vinegar. "I'll never eat ration bars again when I'm done here."  
"So say them all," Polemos replied as he bit into his bar, tearing off a huge chunk of it. He didn't seem to mind eating pressed müsli glued together with dried honey.

"How much longer to go?" I asked as I picked the second last ration bar out of the box Saxa was holding towards me.  
"Perhaps an hour more," Enyalios replied. The son of Ares and Enyo had obviously been sleeping too, since there was patterns from his jacket imprinted on his left cheek and temple. He was stretching and yawning, working out kinks in his neck, and he too looked like he really wanted to be home soaking in a bath. Then again, I knew that when this man got a weapon in his hand and was sent into battle he soon forgot everything else for the chance of an invigorating clash.  
"Are we still going down?" I asked.

"Let's see," Enyalios said and picked a bullet out of one of his coat pockets. Then he placed it gently on the floor and I noticed how it started to roll forward until it came to rest against the forwardly wall. "Yup," Enyalios said, "still going down if not as steep anymore."

As I started nibbling upon my ration bar I felt that I was inclined to agree with Alala. I was getting sick of these things by now.

"Any news?" Kumiko asked Penthesileia. "About the others, I mean. For instance, Ares, Athena, Phobos, Hekate and the rest who went in there to do magic?"  
"Nope," Penthesileia replied. "But we did agree upon not talking to each other but concentrating upon getting our job done."  
"I guess we should tell what we've found at least," Theosoris said. "I'm very much inclined to believe that this slave-camp is something extraordinary."  
"I think it's better to tear it apart, liberating those poor sods in there first," Enyalios replied.  
"Yes but we might need help." the hacker insisted.  
"If that'll be the case we'll ask for it." Penthesileia said. "And by magic at that time, not train. Still, there's 32 of us and that ought to be enough."

O0O0O

"How's it looking?" Penthesileia asked Lachias, who was standing with his rifle slung over his shoulder on a rock outcropping looking at another great cave. Lachias was a stout, barrel-chested god with an olive completion and tar black hair in a crew cut. He was a descendant of Ares through Deimos, way down on the line. How far I couldn't recall at the moment, and he was usually living undercover as a honcho in the US army somewhere. Next to him stood Linaya, Penthesileia's mulatto daughter, whom I had practiced some Taekwondo with now and then.

I followed Lachias' gaze out over the empty area in front of us. This cave was darker than the one we had left and it was dominated by a large, empty area where some odd vehicles were parked to the left and cordoned off by the classic barb-wired fencing running between armed watchtowers. Yes, it sure was a concentration camp feel to this awful place.  
"Seems like the activity is dwindling a bit," Lachias answered. "Still, this mine appears to be running in 24/7 shifts. No rest for the wicked. In any case, I guess it would be a great hour to attack."  
"The rest are in position?" the Amazon asked and Lachias nodded.

"This is so sickening," she told us without taking her eyes off the camp. "I'd love to go in right now and tear this place apart. I can't stand seeing people suffering like this!"  
"We'll need a better plan than that," Ishiro replied. "Or we might just as well kill a lot of those mortals in the process. If not all of them."  
"Then what?" Linaya asked as she fidgeted with her fingerless gloves.  
"Let's kidnap them back!" the samurai suggested. And then he started to lay out his plan.

O0O0O

Once again I was heading inside an almost alien world together with Ishiro and the twins. This time we had Akheloios, Narion, Kumiko and Paradox with us as well. Turned invisible we were scaling the mountain walls, downwards until we reached a corner of the large, almost empty plane surrounded by rows and rows of rounded door openings leading inside the mountain wall. Inside of these caves the mortals lived, no doubt under miserable conditions. Outside there were a few patrolling guards. Over yonder we saw a large opening with railroad tracks similar to those which we had arrived upon. We had just watched a coach arrive and spew out its content of exhausted mortals who more or less had fallen to the ground only to be yelled at, whipped and hit by the Titan militia. Then, when the exhausted mortals had got out of the way, a cadre of 'new and fresh' labourers who had been lining up outside the living caves, became ushered on board the train coaches. Those were a melee of men, women, old and young. Most of them were Eastern Asian - Chinese I guessed, although I saw quite a few Indians, Persians and Arabs as well. And to a lesser extent Philippians and Caucasians and even one or two Maori. I wondered how long the people down here really lasted, the conditions were probably unbearable.

When that train had left, the guards kept on beating, kicking and whipping the remaining mortals until all of them had disappeared inside of their living quarters. Then the Titan guards sat down upon a couple of stones, lit up their foul-smelling tobacco pipes and started a kind of dice game. As the calm settled, Ishiro nodded at Akheloios who smirked back before letting out some almost invisible, green threads of power, which slithered away towards the Titans as if they were semi-transparent snakes. Before the guards even knew what had hit them, those snakes slid up their bodies and turned into nets of power which started strangling the Titans. Just a second or two before the lights went out in their eyes I saw the Titans understand what was happening to them and fear painting itself across their ugly faces. Soon they all fell while gasping for breath and propelling their arms. Still that green energy didn't stop but it kept on squeezing until the Titan bodies contracted under the large forces and disappeared completely. I wasn't sure if it was just reflexes or if some of the Titans were actually alive during the process, but it was still horrible to see them kick and trash with legs and arms.

"Next move," Ishiro said. "Paradox get ready to do your thing!"  
"Aye aye Sir," Hekate's daughter saluted our leader and then she nodded to me and Palioxis who followed her towards the housing caves.

My earlier guess had unfortunately been correct. The reek from the dwellings were felt way out. Sweat, blood, dirt, fecal, urine, decaying food and some unidentified stenches blended into a horrid miasma. Looking inside I was met with all the dismays anyone can suffer as a human being. Most of the people inside were dressed in dirty rags, but some were naked. Almost all was laying down, on narrow and rickety beds or even on the dirty stone floor. Some were trying to eat from trays filled with some grayish yellow gore, others were sitting and shivering, shaking or swaying to and from. Those who were making sounds were not making any sense. No language, just noises. A lot of the people seemed more or less unwell, if not outright sick. In the first hall there was a man lying down by the corner, a bald, old Arab who was obviously dead. This was like Hitler's concentration camps, only hundredfold worse. There was no dignity, no mercy for all those poor souls in here.

But Paradox told us to not look, just follow her. Then she started to Warp the World. She was opening up fields of magic in the air, magic of the kind very few in the whole wide world managed. Controlled sub-quark magic. When those fields started to work and to expand, they began to radiate energy pulled from somewhere. Energy which started to flow like orange tendrils towards all those prisoners, very much like the snakes which had killed the Titan guards. But instead of harming those humans, the tendrils seeped inside of them and strengthened them and invigorated them, both in their bodies and spirit. Those sick became cured, those hungry and thirsty became sated, those sleeping woke up and those apathetic stirred alive and sense beamed up in their eyes for perhaps first time in years and years. The only one not affected was the dead Arab.

When the energies seeped through them, the humans raised as if being one single body and started to walk against the hole in the universe which Paradox had created. Palioxis and I were standing by them and giving our hands here and there to make sure all were following. I saw mothers picking up their children, young lovers taking each other's hands, adults helping elderly as they all started to walk towards the hole. On the other side of the hole I saw what looked like green, poppy-covered meadows under an endless blue sky.  
"Lead the way, Aidra!" Paradox told. "And you, Palioxis take up the rear!"

In response I started to help mortals cross the line. Some were afraid, others were praising various deities which names had been forgotten until now. Thus it felt almost ironic that we were the gods who were really doing it. Gods who the world had forgotten about - or had never even known. The man who became the first to cross the boundary started to praise Allah - but as he met my eyes it seemed as if he knew what I really was, he stopped.  
"You're an angel, miss?" he then asked almost worriedly in broken Chinese.  
"Not exactly," I replied in the same language. "I am... a friend." I settled for that word, it felt safe and kind and this was not the time for theological discussions. Now one by one and then three by three or five by five the mortals begun filing through the hole. There, on the other side, they met Paradise. Yes, where we were sending them was no place on Earth. We had agreed upon that, it would be almost impossible to return these poor souls to the mortal societies, many of them hadn't even seen those, and would never be able to fit in. So we sent them to Elysium, the artificial realm which Zeus, Hera, Hemera and Hades had created millennia ago. Elysium was a paradise in its true sense, because it consisted of an island of pure nature in a controlled environment, surrounded by a warm sea. The days were always sunny, the nights were almost balmy and filled with replicas of the stars seen from Earth. Finally, the air was invigorated by Manna - a substance which made it unnecessary to eat or drink.

In this place, people could live on forever, not aging, never getting sick, injured or unwell. They could run across the fields, walk the beaches, swim the seas, sit under the trees and they would never have to worry about hardship anymore. We had decided to keep the mortals here until we knew what to do with them. We wondered if there would ever be possible to return them to Earth again. Meanwhile their stay here would feel like forever to them and their brains would more or less forget about the hardship they had endured earlier. They deserved that solution, it was something we all agreed upon.

Palioxis and I stood there and watched the mortals for quite a while, saw them running across the grass meadows, the air filling with laughter, songs and praise, with talks, cheers and whistles. We faced each other and smiled. Then the daughter of Ares nodded to the left, where a new hole was opening up, spilling out more people, this time being herded by Kumiko and Akheloios. Palioxis and I used that new hole to return through, and it was almost like falling down in a nightmare again after the wonders of Elysium.

We reentered outside of the fourth hall, where Paradox were waiting for us together with Ishiro after having sent away Proioxis and Narion with the dwellers of the third hall.  
"Two more halls to go," she said.  
"What time is it, how long were we gone?" I asked fearing that hours had passed while we were in Elysium. But only a few minutes had gone by in this world, after all it was in Elysium that time travelled slower. I cast a glance at Ishiro who was guarding the plaza alone as we were working. Then I followed Paradox and Palioxis into the next cave to start all over again.

O0O0O

It took us about an hour to empty the caverns, liberating the mortal prisoners in there. When we were done, the only thing left were the heaps of trash and filth and six dead bodies, including the old Arab in the first cave and what appeared to be a still born baby. What pained me most though was two five year olds, obviously twins who laid with their eyes closed in a corner. The mortals had placed pebbles on their eyes in a try at 'paying the ferryman' - one of the few traditions which still lived on since the days the Olympians had been worshipped as the gods they were. The sight of the little boy and girl, fragile and obviously malnourished, was clawing its way into my heart and made me swallow tears as I recited to myself that I would never ever feel pity for a single Titan again.

Now, Ishiro went into mind contact with Penthesileia, who was leading the larger force down into the mines on their mission of catching and liberating the mortals. She was giving him directions and upon hearing them, he ordered us to follow him down into the tunnels ahead, where the railroad tracks went. There was no train in sight; probably that tunnel was only used to freight mortal workers, and not for transporting goods. The gold was probably being shipped out elsewhere.

This tunnel was as dark as the one which we had arrived trough, no light burning anywhere. Consequently we conjured up our own divine plasmaballs to lead us the way in the dark. In the green light I regarded the engineering skills of the Titans. It was well in level with what I had seen from human tunnels, and when I asked Ishiro about that he spat on the ground and snarled:  
"More slaves being deployed. The Titans can't make things like this," he pointed at the intricate net of iron beams strengthening the tunnel roof, "so they have to use humans for it. Most of them being kidnapped and kept in slavery down here it seems."  
"Bastards!" I replied and Ishiro nodded.  
"You can say that again, Aidra, even if it has been said many times before."  
"And the only way to stop it - is doing this?" I asked.  
"Unfortunately yes," the son of Ares replied and kicked a boulder into pieces.

The first sign of trouble appeared some five minutes later in the form of a handful Titans who seemed to be leisure-strolling rather than patrolling. Those were taken out in a few seconds, I didn't even have to engage, Kumiko and Palioxis who walked first took care of that. But it's with Titans as with roaches, where there's one, there's definitely more. Quite soon there were two trolleys with patrols coming our way and when their headlight shone upon us, the trolleys braked and the Titans milled out and launched themselves at us. When we engaged we found that there were quite a lot of these bastards and that they were real militia, more skilled than the domestic defenders we had fought back in Meknat. These foes knew how to fight, they worked at splitting us up, and somehow Paradox and I found us being cornered against the wall with an almost impossible force facing us and coming from every direction including from above.

"Shit!" I bellowed. "Can we do this, Doxxie?"  
"Not by blades and guns," Hekate's daughter replied. "But sheet your right blade and take my hand, Aidra!"  
"Huh?!" I replied but obeyed. The next second reality shifted around us and I felt myself falling backwards - and landing on hard stone. We were in another tunnel and in front of us the band of enraged Titans came running.  
"Doxxie, this wasn't any better."  
"Wait, I'm not done yet?"

Then she pulled at my arm again and we turned and ran. As I let out another surprised and annoyed call, Paradox explained:  
"We're baits."  
"Baits?"  
"Yes, for trapping the Titans in a Möbius loop."  
"A - what?"  
"A kind of circle they cannot get out from. Not if they don't know the right geometrics to apply to their magic escape route."  
"You'll have to explain that later," I said as I followed Paradox down the narrow tunnel, ducking to avoid hitting my head in the stone ceiling. When I glanced behind I saw the horde of angered Titans following us with their war-axes at the ready and I heard the whistling of bullets passing us by, sometimes ricocheting against our shielding. Then suddenly they were gone - or rather not. I could hear their steps somewhere, as if they were running in the opposite direction. I let out a surprised exclamation as I turned to Paradox who grinned back at me.  
"Now that'll give them something to think about."

I was still hearing their catcalls and running feet, first coming closer again and then fading away.  
"So how do WE get out of here?"  
"Same way as we came in of course." Paradox said and pointed behind me. And as I turned I saw that we were not in an endless tunnel at all, but rather in a minor in cropping from the large railroad tunnel we had been walking through. As we exited that one, squeezing past some humming electric stations, we found that the others were out there waiting for us with a surprised look upon their faces.  
What took you so long?" Kumiko asked. "And where's the Tits?"  
"Oh, they suddenly got very busy," I replied with a giggle. "And yours? Seems to be lining up for Charon's ferry."  
"Perhaps, but they can't pay the admission fees over, since they ain't got no money," Akheloios said.  
"Stranded on the wrong side of Styx, desu!" Kumiko giggled. "The suckers!"  
"Come on, let's go!" Ishiro urged us on.

We started down the tunnel, past the burnt out Titan vehicle and dead enemy bodies, hardly glancing at them. Then it didn't take us long until we heard the now well-known sound of battle again. And added to that the horrid screams of humans.


	25. Clash of the Neotitans

**Clash of the Neotitans**

Here, outside the entrance to the mining tunnel, we met several of ours and even more Titans. All and sundry fighting like mad. I spotted almost everyone from our group together with a lot of Penthesileia's fighters. Some of them were herding terrified mortals out of harm's way. Mortals wearing iron collars and with chained legs, probably to keep them from running. Wherever there were to run in a place like this, hundreds of feet underground.  
"Akheloios, Proioxis, Kumiko, Aidra, Palioxis! Engage!" Ishiro ordered. "Narion, Paradox, you come with me to where Dinamarca and Lysandros are protecting the mortals! We're taking them into safety! Same procedure as earlier!"  
"Okay, cover us!" Paradox confirmed as she and Narion ran over to the samurai. Meanwhile I had already pulled out my swords and engaged Titans, who were crossing blades with Xantos and Astyokhe. Once more I lost myself to time and space, only bothering with the next Titan to kill.

This time I took advantage of all four dimensions, jumping in the air and somersaulting to reach behind an enemy and stab him in the back before I spun away and pushed my sword in the belly of another one. I saw Aristides fighting with his long, double tipped spear, soaked in enemy blood as well as some ichorished orange which might be his own, even if it didn't seem to bother him. I saw Aleata emptying her gun into a group of Titans and then I saw tourist bus-like vehicles arrive with Titan enforcements, but Oenomaus lobbed a grenade into the foremost car and as it exploded the second one drove right into it and it too became engulfed in the ball of orange fire. Kumiko had retrieved a huge Titan battle axe and was swinging it against her foes while screaming insults at them. There was Androkles who was lifting an enormous boulder, with the strength he had inherited form his father Hercules, and then hurling it at a couple of Titans. I also saw Romulus behead two Titans with one single swing of his battle axe and I saw Nerio fall, grasping her belly and Saxa pulling her out of danger. The twins were screaming like creatures of hell as they fought back to back, the terrible sound of their voices only punctured by the rattle of machine guns.

"There are more mortals down here!" Polemos called and pointed behind himself. "We better go get them!"  
"Where's the others? The liberated ones?" I asked, screaming over the deafening noise.  
"Dinamarca and Lysandros took them away, defending them somewhere." Pol replied.  
"I believe Paradox can send them to that Elysium place." Kumiko huffed as she ducked a swinging mace, using her katana to neuter the Titan in front of her. As the foe started to scream Aristides rised his voice to ask:  
"Doxxie's really sending them to Elysium?"  
"Yeah," I replied.  
"Can she DO that?" Aristides wondered, pulling his spear out of a dying Titan.  
"Yes, I've seen it myself." I replied and conjured up more bullets for my machine gun. "Even went there together with Palioxis."  
"Tell!" Oenomaus asked and when I shook my head, Polemos replied in my stead:  
"That's for later!" The next second he spun away, tricking a Titan to follow him using an odd trajectory which made her fall, and in that instance I could kill her. I looked up and met Polemos' smirking eyes.  
"Smooth, Aidra!" he said.

Now our assault was beginning to pay off, the remaining Titans became pushed against the opposite wall of the cave, retreating with wildly slashing blades, clubs, axes and maces, since they had understood that bullets couldn't harm us because of our shielding. As they retreated, they were beginning to make those kind of mistakes scared and stressed beings do, and we were able to slaughter them fast. I don't know how many I killed during those short minutes, but it felt like more than ever since we had come to this place. My fellow Olympians were doing the same.  
"I feel like I'm in 'Clash of the Titans'," I heard Alala joke behind me.  
"I'd rather call It 'Bash of the Titans'," Xantos replied.

Then two more 'busses' arrived and while Oenomaus gave the first one the same treatment as the earlier ones had gotten, the second one managed to break in time and start emptying its content of fresh Titans down on the ground. This meant they were becoming a bit too many, I feared. At that moment Enyalios called out:  
"Okay, every Olympian over here, I have an idea!"

With questioning eyes we obeyed and the son of Ares reached up with his hands in the air and seemed to grab it. The next second everything went dark around us, and I heard angered and surprised screams coming from the Titans and even some bemused words from some of us.

_Now, Olympians, circle clockwise so we reach the pond of water over there!_ Enyalios mindspoke and we followed him in said direction. And as we spun around Enyalios ordered Nerio and Akheloios to pull up some of the water from the pond (which actually was a broken sewer, the smell was terrible) and then freeze it into ice.

Meanwhile the Titans had conjured up magic flares of the kind that overrode Enyalios' darkcloaking magic - but that was apparently according to his plan. Because when the Titans saw us they had a hockey arena of frozen ice between us and themselves, and without noticing that in the dusk and in their fighting frenzy, they rushed ahead. It was almost like Paradox' Möbius trick, a trap with us as baits. Soon the Titans were slipping and falling all over.  
"Now - guns!" Enyalios ordered, calling out loud this time, and we all pulled out what we had of that kind and begun to emptying bullets into the Titan's frames. Shooting, shooting and shooting until not a single Titan remained. Well two of them actually made it across, only to meet their faith at the end of the blades of Keiko and Xantos.

After that final skirmish silence lowered itself over the place, the only thing heard was the singing of the water as the ice melt again beneath the dead Titans. Enyalios retrieved his darkcloaking and the place became lit with the Titan's electric lanterns again.  
"Now what?" Akheloios asked, looking at Enyalios who had become in charge by default now since neither Ishiro nor Penthesileia were present.  
"We'll continue with the plane," Ares' son replied. "Scan for mortals, that's the most important thing. There still has to be some of them down there in the mine, if my math isn't completely off."  
"Where's the others?" Alala asked.  
"Gathering mortals," Enyalios replied. "Further below."  
"Then let's go there!" Romulus suggested. "They might need a hand - or two dozen."  
"Roger that, Rom!" his brother said. "Can you find them?"  
"I'm not the best tracker, but come on, let's go!"  
"And if more Titans come here when we are gone?" Keiko asked.  
"Well, it's not that important guarding that dirty gutter," Polemos said and nodded over to the pond.

The next moment we were all heading down yet another tunnel, spiraling down even deeper underground. I had no idea how far beneath the surface of the Earth we were now - and I wasn't so sure I wanted to know. Soon an eerie green light began shining from below and we soon saw why. We had reached into a broad and deep shaft, open in the middle and where our narrow track was circling down the walls. It was from the bottom of that shaft the green light came. Now Romulus stopped us and suggested that we dived down in the hole instead of bothering with the sloping track. And as we did, Keiko told us to scan the place carefully so that we may find possible stray mortals. A good idea! We had just dived a few metres before we spotted three women who were fleeing upwards with a couple of Titan persecutors at their heels. The women's legs were chained together so they had hard to run and they were malnourished and injured, still they seemed to do unexpectedly well against their tormentors. It was probably the adrenaline of fear and despair which fed this Chinese trio.

By seeing them Enyalios gave some quick orders and Proioxis and Palioxis dived down and pulled the chains off the feet of the women and then the twins were carrying the Chinese back the way we had come from, with their mind set upon finding Paradox and the others. Meanwhile Enyalios placed a few well-aimed bullets in the bulks of the Titans. While the now chattering women praised their saviors Enyalios called over the hubbub:  
"Come back here as soon as possible, Olympians!"  
"Sure thing," Proioxis called back, and then they were gone with their trio of mortals. The rest of us continued diving, scanning the sides of the shaft. But we met neither more mortals, nor any of the Titans. Instead we were soon standing on the floor of a long, straight tunnel with vaulted roof. It was disappearing far away into the mountain on both sides. Large green lamps were lining the walls, it was from them the creepy light emitted.  
"Nuclear magic," Xantos said and I wrinkled my brow. Yet another technique I didn't understand.

"West!" Romulus said after having scanned the place for a few moments. "That is to the right," he clarified.  
"Mortals there?" Keiko asked.  
"Yes - as well as more of our guys."  
"And Titans?"  
"You bet!"  
"Am I surprised?" Aristides jeered as he pulled out his large sword, which looked way too heavy for an ordinary man to lift. Then of course he was no ordinary man...

The next moment we were marching west, and after a while Keiko who was walking next to me, stopped and bent down to pick something up.  
"Nuggets of gold," she replied. "Probably dropped from some transport."  
"We'll retrieve those later," Enyalios said. "Now we're here to liberate mortals." Keiko shrugged and rolled her eyes but she didn't stop for more gold after having placed her findings in the utility belt. But when I found a nugget myself a few minutes later I couldn't help picking it up too. Then I remembered something and teleported it back to New York and more exactly into my home vault.  
"Keiko, you know what?" I said and told her what I did.  
"Didn't think of it", she smirked. "I guess too much fighting makes you a tad dumb."  
"Not dumb, just tired," I replied.

Not much later we reached the main mine, which was an almost endlessly large cavity with shafts and drifts running all over the place. And with more fighting going on. Reaching that place we realized we had arrived just in time. There were Penthesileia and a few other Olympians trying to hold back a much larger Titan force while they were defending perhaps two dozen mortals who had been liberated. It seemed impossible for them to reach that opening we had arrived from and any other way out seemed difficult to locate. Enyalios didn't hesitate a second when he ordered our attack, and we hurled down in the large cavity and begun fighting the Titans in our tries at reaching our comrades who were defending the mortals.

"Great!" I heard Peneteseleia call. "We never thought we would be able to get these people out from here. It's too tight and crowded for a try at teleporting."  
"And we're running out of time," Anaximachos cried out from behind her. "Only two more hours to withdrawal."  
"Can't we ask for an extension?" Keiko asked and ducked a Titan attacking her from behind. "After all this must definitely be one of those places Ares described as being 'extraordinary'."  
"I'm not so sure, after all it's just a mine," Peneteseleia replied.  
"With hundreds and hundreds of mortal slave workers, we ought to..." the Japanese began.  
"Negative," the Amazon cut her off and as Keiko made a move to go on, she was firmly silenced.  
"Keiko, millions of mortals have been killed by the Titans over history. We can't possibly save them all."

I stopped paying attention and concentrated instead on the Titan who was pushing me backwards as I was maneuvering out across a beam which held up wires and cogwheels to elevators going up and down in the large cavity. When I ducked and swept out in a Taekwondo Tornado Kick with my leg, I felt it connect with the hocks of the Titan and the next second the beast lost her balance and fell down in the canyon with a death-cry. Just as planned. The next second I heard a distant splash, that was how I came to realize there was an underground lake or sea on the bottom of this great mining cave. Not reflecting much more over it I launched myself forward, attacking the next beast, killing him more or less with a lucky strike. After him the next and the next in a seemingly endless row, feeling how tiredness was starting to get to my me but still trying to go with the flow. The last Titan was slimmer and faster than the woman I had just defeated, and she was a more adequate sword fighter as well. So I had to duck several times to avoid her from injuring me with her Adamantine blade. In the end I became the one to lose balance, but since I knew how to levitate I could leap around the beam and enter on the other side, and that almost took the Titanesse by surprise. However I never learned if she was caught enough off balance because the next second her head became severed by a wide swing of Androkles' blade.

The son of Hercules then held out his hand towards me, saying:  
"We're leaving with the mortals now, so come on, dear!"  
"But there are more down there. How about..."  
"We cannot help them, Aidra!"  
"There has to be a way!"  
"Penthesileia have ordered retreat, come on now!"  
"But... If I..."  
"Aidra, you can't stay here, we have to stick together!"

I nodded vaguely, he was right. I had told the very same thing to Theosoris back in Babylon when he had wanted to hack that computer for what felt like centuries ago. Now Penthesileia wanted us out, and we had to go to not risk the whole venture. With regret I looked down into the large mine where I saw that a kind of upheaval was going on, the mortal slaves revolting against their tormentors, hitting back at their suppressors with axes, spades and other tools, not seeming to care if they were living or dying at the end of this day. Still there was no way we could help them, we were needed on the planet surface and we had to stick together. On top of that I tried to think of all the people we actually HAD saved, those who were running across the fields of Elysium as we spoke.

Behind Androkles I saw Saxa, she was saying something and pointing above, fear contorting her sweet features. Craning my neck in indicated direction, I saw a Titan standing on an outcropping some ten metres on top of us. Or - no, that was not a Titan. The large being was tar black, and not in the African way but more as if it was made out of scaled iron and surrounded by an aura of flaming and sparkling blue magic. Add to that fangs, claws and burning violet eyes and you found yourself staring at a pure monster.

"Shit!" Androkles said. "A Sybaris!"  
"Say what?" I asked.  
"A powerful magic daemon. It's probably..." the son of Hercules begun. The next second I felt the gravity turn and I toppled over and fell, instinctively grabbing one of the thick elevator cables before I remembered how to levitate. At the same time a flood of water came crashing down upon me as the sea below turned into a waterfall and gushed 'down' over me. I heard Saxa yell and Androkles calling out that he had her.

"Aidra," I heard Androkles call. "Let go and follow us!"  
"What? Where?"  
"Just do it!" the next second I felt his strong hand grab me around the waist. "Trust me, young one!" As a response I let go of the wire, instead taking hold on to the strong arm of the ancient god. The next moment we were falling with the water, me screaming on top of my lungs as we went. We hit stones several times and I could feel how my shielding was draining me of power. Still Androkles didn't lose his grip, he held me and Saxa in an iron clasp. In the back of my mind I wondered what had happened to the others. And the mortals, they were probably chanceless against this strange new beast which had appeared out of nowhere.

The water reached a horizontal drift which might as well be the tunnel from which we had come, but I was not sure, and the three of us were flowing with it, spinning, wobbling and tumbling, and hanging on to each other for dear life. Now and then we reached surface and then we gasped for more oxygen with cursings, coughings and spittings as we tried to find our bearings. But it was impossible to even tell what was up and what was down and that was not only because of the magically shifted gravity and the pitch darkness of the place. We fell through another hole and then the water spewed us out in a place where light was falling in from somewhere, and then we fell again, and landed on a suspiciously slim surface. Now the weather washed away, leaving us lying down and panting, sore and battered in spite of our shielding and most of all soaked down to the bones.

As I lifted my still spinning head and tried to focus I found myself staring at two heavy boots.  
"Well well well, what have we here?" someone was saying above me. "Three fallen Olympians, looking more like nearly drowned cats than gods if I may say so."

That accent - so Titan!

Out of pure instinct I reached for my knife and aimed to bury it in the boots of the stranger. But my try failed - because Androkles caught my elbow and pulled back my arm so I dropped the weapon. At that moment I looked up - and gazed right into the slightly amused face of Lysandros.  
"That wasn't funny, Lys!" Saxa raged behind me. "Hadn't you been lucky enough in having a cousin with fast reflexes you'd have an Adamantine knife in your foot by now."  
"Oh, I'm sorry then." The blond great-great grandson of Hephaestos grinned, not sounding the slightest like he meant it. I sat up while glaring at him, a profanity escapling my lips. Androkles was a bit more held together though. As he let go of my arm he described our situation in a few short sentences and then he asked about the others.

"Over yonder," Lysandros nodded his head. "Leia teleported them up here, but she lost contact with you when that monster showed up. We're out of here now!"  
"It was a Sybaris, Lys!" Saxa said.  
"You sure?" the blond god said. "I mean..."  
"I know what I saw," Saxa spat.  
"But you know how rare these..."  
"You bet I do, still I'm..."  
"Come, let's go!" Androkles cut them off, held out a hand and helped me up, returning my knife as well. Sheating it, I turned back to look at the cave where we had come out. We were back at that large plane where we had begun, I realized. The plane with the now empty caves which had housed the mortals.

Lysandros led the way across the now empty plane and we followed him. I turned to Saxa:  
"I can't believe our luck, was it the train tunnel we came out from?"  
"No, a drift a bit up," the daughter of lost Avalon replied, yawned and shivered in the cold air. "And it wasn't luck. Andy was navigating us. He's kinda good at these things."  
"Kinda...?" I echoed with disbelief at Saxa's casual choice of words and glanced over at big Androkles. Turning back once again, I looked at the tunnels we had come from, contemplating the fate of all the people who had surely drowned in there. The Titans I couldn't care the least about, but those poor mortal humans...

O0O0O

"Okay, I've counted twice to twenty-four. So that makes everyone." Penthesileia said. "Anyone not here, please speak up now!" At that spread laughter was heard. Then Ishiro's voice was heard from behind me and I turned.  
"If it's true that there was a Sybaris in there, then we'd better hurry and get out of here, because the situation might get direr yet."  
"What's a Sybaris?" I asked.  
"It's also called a Lamia demon," Ishiro explained. "It's a beast living on the souls of sentient beings. Sounds cliché I know, however most clichés have a background in rea life, or they wouldn't be clichés to start with. The Sybarites are and old race of clever and adaptable beings. So if the Titans have managed to employ one of these, we might be in real trouble if we don't get out of here quick."

"So you don't think that thing drowned?" Narion said.  
"They're often quite a bit more die-hard than that," Proioxis huffed, glancing over her shoulder, as if she expected to see the being coming crawling out of the tunnel. "I'm not the only one mistaking a Sybaris for being dead. A Sybaris who rises the very next moment to give me more trouble than ever."  
"Yes," Palioxis added. "Remember that being in Palestine? Which came running out of a lorry we just blasted to burning debris!"  
"Not to mention that one on the German sub in 1943," Elaos fell in.  
"Nazi-Sybaris, can it get any worse?" Proioxis made a face.  
"So what are we waiting for?" Akheloios asked, apparently less amused with the discussion of intransigent Sybarises.  
"Our ride," Penthesileia replied and kept on staring at a dark, orb-like object in her right hand. Now what?

"So Clash of the Neotitans is over for this time?" Alala figured.  
"Don't worry, there's a sequel coming soon in a theatre near you," Xantos smirked.  
"With us as the stars!" Romulus filled in.  
"Then I want a raise," Nerio said. "And a private lounge with a bucket of champagne waiting for me."  
"I guess that can be arranged," Saxa grinned.  
"As long as I don't have to write autographs I'm fine," Kumiko giggled.

"A Sybaris, we have to tell the others," said Romulus with quite a bit more seriousness in his voice. "Because this sets the stakes quite a bit higher."  
"I agree," Paradox said. "So how's it going, Leia?"  
"Just a few moments now," the Amazon said, and she didn't sound particularly worried. Which made me keep on with my enquiries:  
"Is this - Sybaris - harmful for immortals as well?"  
"Harmful, yes. Lethal no." Androkles replied. "It do eat souls, but that's from mortals. Ours it cannot get. But as we saw in there, Aidra, it can do a lot of other things as well. Like giving us quite a shake over. And even if that's not lethal it prevented us from saving more of the mortals. To put it short, these things down there can hinder us from doing our thing and in the end giving the Titans an upper hand in the game."

The next second Penthesileia was dropping that orb on the ground and in a whirl of smoke and silvery sparkles it expanded rapidly and had soon closed us all in.  
"Okay, fasten seatbelts," the Amazon announced and the next second I felt reality shift around me again. It felt almost like back in that cave, but in a way slightly easier to handle. I didn't fall over, I just felt my stomach do funny things. Looking around, I found all of us standing firmly attached to the inner surface of this dark but oily shimmering orb, thus we were all posed at a slightly different angle from each other, still everyone with his or her gravity point down towards that black and shiny floor.

"This is trippy!" I exclaimed as I kept on checking out this novelty mean of transportation, having to bend my head to look at people like Elaos, Anaximachos and Keiko who were standing upside down from my point of view, looking perfectly fine with that.  
"I think this whole thing was trippy," Palioxis replied. "Titans in caves, that's what they write fantasy books about. I've been longing for a fight like this for so long, whilst having to be content with crooks lurking in New York alleys and mere guns."  
"There's nothing wrong with guns!" Proioxis grinned back at her.

As I felt tiredness catch up with me I was reminded of my own plans. When this was over and we were safely home I was going to hand in my resignation and then join Apollo's group. Working with music and entertainment, that sounded quite a bit more relaxed. No caves and Sybarites, no suffering mortals, no dark tunnels and ration bars. And foremost no Titans! Yes, that was going to be way more relaxed. Not to mention I got to spend the time with my beloved. I so missed Apollo, and I felt ashamed that I had almost forgot to think about him during these underground hours. That was sure going to change from now on!

Turning my attention to what was going on outside the semi-transparent walls, I could tell that I was actually the one travelling almost upside down. We had left the underground and exited somewhere probably right above where the mine had been. At the moment we were flying through a night sky with a moon crescent beneath my feet and to the left. Above me was a large black thing dotted with glittering lights which I soon figured was the Earth surface with lands covered with human habitations, shimmering in their shrouds of electric lights. Eastern China, with some brighter spots which might have been Shanghai and surroundings. Then the lights disappeared and the surface turned dark - no, not really dark, but glittering slightly like mercury and with some odd specks of lights upon, and I realized that we were now travelling over the Pacific Ocean. My inner ear was protesting against the conflicting sensations and I had to brace myself to not getting nauseous.

"What is this thing we're riding?" I asked and Saxa next to me replied:  
"It's called a Vimana. It's a magic chariot which has been used by the gods for millennia. A rather simple method to transport large quantities of goods - or gods. You just wrap the gravity around yourself and then repel it so you fall out in the sky. And then the rest is pure levitation and navigation."  
"But why is it black? And what is it made of?" I inquired further.  
"Because of the inverted gravity, it warps the light as well." Saxa went on as she removed the last of the now destroyed plastic tubes out of her hair. "You can make that discolouring go away and turn it completely transparent, but I guess Leia doesn't bother, after all we're all rather tired now."  
"You got that right," Penthesileia replied as she glanced around and looked at us from where she was standing some 45 degrees from us.  
"And it's made out of nothing," Saxa went on with a grin. "You see it's not a surface you're standing on, just warped gravity which holds you in place."  
"Told ya it was trippy," Palioxis said from her place opposite of Penthesileia. She had sat down and when I saw she was not the only one, I followed her example.

O0O0O

"Aidra, are you out of your... why?" Ares looked at me with surprise in his brown eyes, pushing his laptop away as I sat down in front of him by the table in the living room turned into war central.  
"Because to be honest, I'm not a warrior, Ares. I was a cop, that's true. But I joined the force to protect and to serve and not to kill. I was... I don't really know how to explain it, but I cannot do this anymore."

Ares sighed.  
"It's Apollo, right?"  
"What?"  
"The bastard! What has he been telling you now?"  
"Ares I came to this..."  
"No, you did not come to this conclusion yourself, Aidra. Do you think I'm stupid or what? No, Apollo has been feeding something into your head and probably promised you that it will all be green grass and jolly joy over at his office. But it's not. To be honest with you, Aidra, this war is going to spread and we will soon have to draft more of the gods to defeat this threat. I heard about that Sybarite and also about other beasts which other groups met down under. Now, the mission was a huge success with more than twenty Titan cities and habitations more or less destroyed, but this means the war is going to reach another level. A level which will have 9/11 looking like a dress rehearsal. Soon the Titans will know that the only way to defend their society is to hit ours. That moment they're going to come swarming up on the surface. Then we will have to fight them with all we have and then some. On top of that it's going to be way harder keeping up with all the disinformation that keeps the mortals in the dark."

"Ares..."  
"Aidra forget it! If you lean back in that comfy chair and think a bit you'll see that I am right. We can't afford to lose a single soul now. Besides you're not just 'any soul' Aidra. You might be a newbie but you're creative and promising and I'd hate to see you abandoning the case just because you're a bit battle-tired right now. To be true we all are."  
"Ares, it's not just battle-tiredness. What I saw down there..."  
"Might become five times worse if we don't do what we can to stop it. Imagine if the Titans took over this world! Then what you saw down there might just be a petty prelude."

I sighed and hid my face in my hands, rubbing the rim of my nose. Then I took my eyes off him, regarding the kanban on the wall, with all our battle plans and stratagems. All the clever little logistic solutions. Maps and timetables. It had seemed almost impossible back then, too large a project. But we had managed, simply because each one of us had done their little detail. Including myself. Now, Ares counted on me to keep doing it. How could I let him – and all the others down. Wasn't that pretty selfish after all?

"I'm... what do I tell Apollo?"  
"I can talk to him if you like," Ares offered.  
"No I... I think it's better he's getting to hear it from me than from anyone else. He'll have to understand that it's my own decision."  
"That's great, Aidra." Ares reached out and grabbed the hand I had dropped on the table. "You're a magnificent goddess, don't you ever forget that. Now, go home and rest! Sleep and meditate! And then return refreshed and invigorated to the celebratory dinner here tomorrow night!"  
"Aye aye, general!" I smiled and gave him a salute.

After that the war god showed me things on his computer which he had been working on. Interesting things about the magic destruction of some major Titan habitats and also what it would take to eradicate the world from these beasts. It was sure not done in a jiffy and I understood now the tiredness in his chestnut eyes. I squeezed his hand back. Wasn't there a better way? An all-out solution?

But when I walked out of the room I sort of felt that I had been tricked somehow. I knew that Apollo was going to be disappointed. Then again I owed this to the world. Those mortals I had seen down there in the mine - may it never happen again!


	26. Berserk

**Berserk**

"Didn't I just knew it!"  
"Apollo, please don't be mad at me. I'm just doing what I feel is right."  
"By throwing all this time and perhaps even your sanity and life away? No, Aidra, you deserve better. You're not supposed to..."  
"If you had seen those mortals down there you'd know what I'm talking about."  
"Aidra, let others deal with that! I had actually already prepared for you to come with me on the soon to begin Solinvictus mini-tour beginning next week in Milan, Italy."  
"Oh, I had loved to come with you. But Apollo I have to stay true to what I believe is right. Please, please understand! My conscience would be all over me if I was to quit now, and I would not enjoy myself on the Solinvictus tour."  
"Why? Why not?" Apollo looked all devastated and I felt so bad for him, still I had to do this, even if it ached in my soul.  
"I would only keep thinking about my comrades battling Titans and that I should be there with them, helping them!"

"Damn Ares!" Apollo raged and slammed his fist in the frame of my door so that splinters flew and I knew I had to replace it for the second time this month. (The last time it had been my own fault because I had tried a shuriken and managed to hurl it into the door instead of having it return to my hand after cutting into the dummy.)

I turned to my beloved, couldn't even try hiding my annoyance.  
"You're just like Ares now! Can't you guys see that I can think for myself? True, you almost had me convinced to quit there the other day. When I was so tired I really felt like I didn't want to see a sword or a rifle ever again. But I've been thinking, Apollo. I know that I'm needed out there. No, I don't have any illusions that I can save the world myself, but whatever little difference I might do is going to make it worth it."  
"You know this is never going to end, right?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"When this war is over Ares and Athena are going to invent a new one. They've always been doing that."  
"Apollo, what the heck are you talking about?"  
"That's the truth, read your history, Aidra. Those gods have always been at war."

"Shit, Apollo, I don't need to hear that. If we beat the Titans..."  
"We cannot beat them. Because that means eradicating the race. And we cannot do that. Too many Titan genes are hidden within the human gene-pool. And another day they're going to rise again."  
"I've heard that before. I also know that Athena and some of her people are working on that front as well. Including your son Asklepios! Now please let me..."  
"Aidra..." his voice changed at that moment.  
"Yes?"

"Aidra, darling, I'm so worried about you," Apollo said and his blue eyes were so sad it almost made me cry. The next moment he reached out and took me in his arms, holding me tight. As I returned the embrace, leaning my chest against his firm frame I replied:  
"I'm not going to die, darl' I promise."  
"But don't... become anyone of them either!"

When he said that it was as if a cold bucket of water had been poured over me and I let go, taking a step back.  
"What exactly do you mean by that, Apollo?"  
"Don't become a warrior, Aidra!"  
"Apollo," I said, my voice almost choking in my troth. "I am a warrior already. I guess I've always been that, only that I have been rationalizing it away by giving it other names. Like police woman. But I fought back then as well. Fought the crimes and the drugs, fought to make the world a better place. Doing the little things I could do. And these days I can only do it so much better. So why should I throw that away?"

"To evolve, Aidra. To become something else. Something better."  
"Like what?" I dried a tear which had leaked out of the corner of my eye, feeling my nose swell with phlegm as well.  
"A muse of artistry for instance. Don't deny yourself that chance, Aidra."  
"I can't..."  
"Yes you can!"  
"You know, you're not Barak Obama and this is not an election campaign," I sniffed. "And why is being me so wrong?"

Apollo smiled slightly and then he reached out his hands again, saying:  
"No, Aidra, being you it's not wrong. Be it then, but I still love you, little girl of New York City."

_Little girl of New York City_. I recognized those words from a line from the Solinvictus song _Manhattan Mirage_ and I couldn't help smiling in spite of the tears. And once more I ran into the arms of Apollo, and we were holding again and soon we were kissing and everything was well once more. Well, almost, there was still something nagging at my spine, something I didn't really comprehend. A muse of artistry? I?

O0O0O

"I think there's about 300 muses these days. 300 or 400 ruling over various areas of artistry from opera to standup comedy, from haute couture to computer games." Saxa said. She was standing opposite of me by one of the large windows in the upper living room in Ares' penthouse flat, looking out over a night time Manhattan of thousands and thousands of light. Gone was the scary neogothic warrior, traded in for a jet set youth in a long, glittering dark evening gown and high heels, her hair updone in an elaborated creation with rows of pearls glittering dimly in the faint light.

I had just recapitulated my discussion with Apollo, somehow seeking second opinion of what I had decided this morning. All the Olympians who had participated in the attack against the Neotitan cities were here to celebrate the victory, but I felt everything but victorious at the moment. Sad and confused were better words to describe my mood.  
"So many?" I asked.  
"And you don't want to be muse of country music or something."  
"No - bleh!"  
"I think you know already that you're doing the right thing. Your thing, Aidra Mandragore."  
"Saxa, Apollo became so sad."  
"Yes, but if he really loves you and if he's honest with that, he'll accept you for what you are."

"And that is - a warrior."  
"Among other things." Saxa reached out and grabbed another glass of Champagne from the tray as the one of the serving nymphs went by, but I refrained from that. I wasn't really in the mood for alcoholic drinks today. Too much thinking to do.

"Problem is," my friend went on, "that most of the old Olympians - and then I mean the group around the original twelve, those who were around when the pantheon still was more or less connected to Greece - they still think like how it was back then."  
"How do you mean?"  
"That the gods became specialized. They kept on doing their thing which defined them so much that it also forced limitations upon them. Like Poseidon being a sea god, Demeter and Dionysos were agricultural gods, Ares was a war god and so on. Therefore there were little else they really were meant to do. Or able to do. Al right there were some who broke those boundaries already back then, like Athena and Persephone. And Apollo, mind you! But they were sort of exceptions to the rule, most of the time a god stuck with what she or he had been assigned to. Poor Eos for instance, people thought she was good for nothing other than moving around clouds in the sky to create beautiful sunrises. No wonder she became a neurotic man hunter, beating even Aphrodite in that department. This has fortunately changed, but somehow the idea still lives on."

"You think this means I could become a muse instead?"  
"Not _instead _but _too_. No one is going to stop you from developing that field too." Saxa looked like she wanted to go on, but then she shook her head and said: "But you are a goddess of war, Aidra, don't you ever forget such a thing. You see, we can't deny who we are. We'll only get unhappy then."  
"So I could write war poems or something," I joked, but Saxa remained serious.  
"Yes actually you could do something like that. Or prose. If you feel inclined to it of course. You should not force yourself into doing something because you want to prove to others you can do it. It seldom turns out good then."

As she quieted down I was overhearing Deimos, Alexander and Enyalios next to us discussing something with low and serious voices and I felt my eyes dart in that direction as my attention shifted.  
"Does this mean what I think it does?" Deimos said and browsed through a file on his phone.  
"Yes, it might actually do!" Alexander replied. "Remember those daemons we traced a while back. And remember that the Titan word for vole sounds almost like..."  
"Yeah, yeah, you're freaking right man!" Enyalios exclaimed. "Shit, this is huge! Wait to Dad gets to hear this!"  
"And Barak Obama!" Alexander added.

But just as I was about to turn around and ask what this huge thing was about, we got interrupted by Athena, who levitated some two metres up and tinkled her glass to get all of our attention. The goddess of war and wisdom held a short speech, thanking us all for our brave deeds in what had now been labeled The Big Event. After that she said the same thing as Ares had said to me yesterday - that the campaign had been a success - and that a follow-up was already being planned and would be put into action if the Titans didn't stay put where they were. Which no one for a second believed they would. When Athena was done with her speech, the doors opened up what had once been a makeshift war room - was it just two days ago? That part had been turned into a hall of fiesta with three long tables set for all of us and loaded with all kind of goodies. Festoons hang in the ceiling, sparklers were fizzing, music was pumping and magic lanterns burned with several colours. It was time to get the party started for real!

When we entered the large room the air was filled with recapitulation and speculations.  
"What if this ends up in Wikileaks?" Aziza asked.  
"Wikileaks?" Enyo laughed. "I mean just imagine 'Mythological gods destroyed several underground cities for mythological beasts in a 24 hour onslaught' – Zizzi, WE know it's real, but to the regular mortal out there it would sound more like a synopsis for a computer game than something which had actually happened."  
"Or another Rosewell conspiracy," Alala said.  
"It'd become Wikifreaks in a zip," Enyalios laughed as he turned around, facing us where we were seating usselves around a round table.  
"But if some of our films..." Aziza begun but Androkles joked it off:  
"No one would believe it to be real anyhow. They'd think it'd done in a 'puter."  
"Did that Assange really rape a woman in Sweden?" Alala asked, thinking of the Wikileak founder.  
"No it was a set-up." Aziza figured.  
"I don't really think it was," Enyo said. "I've heard those stories too about the woman - women by the way - getting paid for their story and..."

While Enyo, Aziza and Alala started to discuss the drama which was Wikileaks, Androkles asked Hekate:  
"Was it hard to destroy a complete city using magic, Kat?"  
"Yes it was. Actually, it wasn't so much the magic as the feel of being a ruthless murderer. So many times did I have to convince myself that it wasn't PEOPLE down in those houses. But Titans. And that they wouldn't have hesitated a second to destroy our cities the very same way if they had the ability."

"Talking about destroyers of cities," Kydoimos suddenly appeared behind us and laid an arm around the neck of Alala. "Guess who we've found?"  
"No, who?" Alala made a face and tried to get away from the god of battle confusion who grinned and made a drumrolling sound with his lips before saying:  
"Bin fucking Laden!"  
"Say again!"  
"Sacker of cities, madman of Saudi Arabia." Kydoimos exclaimed. "Sonufabitch instigator of 9/11!"  
"The vole!" Saxa exclaimed.  
"What?" this time it was Kydoimos' turn to look confused.  
"Vole in Titan is Osemae." Hekate said and then Saxa and I told that we had overheard Deimos, Alexander and Enyalios discuss the matter.  
"Spilling the beans, Enyalios in a nutshell," Androkles laughed. He was a bit tipsy already, I could tell.

"Yeah, but it was I who found it!" Eris' son beamed. "Asshole is holed up in Pakistan. Hiding behind high walls in some backwater area. Me and Yali were going over some files we hacked from the Titans and which Athena or someone labeled of less interest. But Yali and I were bored and then we browsed through the stuff just because it was like some kind of splatter docusoap. A lot of very descriptive ways of snuffing out people all over the Middle East. Mostly internal Muslim squabble. But among all those badly written reports we found some clues pointing us in the right direction. And when we started to dig - there he was, bad old Osama."  
"So now what?" Aziza asked. "Sure we gonna take him, but..."  
"I guess the Americans will have to get the credits for that," Hekate stated.  
"Yeah, probably Deimos' Navy Seals will go get him or something," Androkles guessed.

O0O0O

I didn't stay long at Ares' that night though. I know that almost everyone else would continue celebrating until sunrise, but I felt melancholic and sad. I wanted Apollo and I wanted him to accept me for who I was. Unfortunately I feared he didn't. Leaving the party via the upper terrace to fly home, I almost stumbled into Penthesileia who was making it out together with Xantos, but I pretended not to see them. I knew that they had been too-from'ing for about a millennia, after all Linaya, Enerare and Anaktoron were their kids and their fights and reunions were said to be legendary. I guessed something had happened during these hours down under, something that had pushed them into each other's arms again.

I just passed them by and entered the terrace, which had emptied of people because a light rain had began to fall. Taking into the air I returned home through the glittering Manhattan. I tried to get in telepathic contact with Apollo, but he was not answering and that saddened me deeply. I had hoped to have him coming over to my place for some time together. Instead I went into the living room and turned on the TV, but there was nothing interesting going on. The news were dominated by some disgrace of a Republican presidential candidate and new paedophilic scandals within the Catholic church. Boring, as Homer Simpson used to say. So I switched channels - and ended right up in a ravaging speech of that TV preacher Angelo Manrico. The one Deimos used to joke that you needed an umbrella when watching because he was spitting all over during his speeches. Gee! The man was not only a bigot and a reactionary, he was mad as Tartarus as well, and his crap was nothing I needed to hear more of.

I turned off the TV and went to bed and I must have been more tired than I knew, because I fell asleep immediately. The whole night I kept dreaming about tunnels, Titans and arguing with Apollo the whole night. And Apollo became Ares and then himself again and we were surrounded by a melee of Olympians, celebs and my old police colleagues as absurd as it always were in dreams.

O0O0O

"They're going to throw all they have against us and the world!" Theosoris' words were echoing in my mind as I fought side by side with Kyknos, Penthesileia, Saxa, Xantos, Alala, Polemos, Aristides, Kydoimos, Anacreon, Nerio and Bellona to keep the Titans from reaching the US capital. We had met the enemy somewhere out over the Atlantic Ocean where they were coming for the American mainland. Hadn't Theosoris managed to hack the Titan computer we would never have known what the Titans were having in the can for us. Five waves of attacks to avenge their destroyed cities. Not only Titans were coming for us now, apparently the wile mutants had managed to ally themselves with other magic beasts. There were several of those Sybarites and fire and air elementals as well as Sphinxes, Harpies, snake-like beings called Amphisbainai and Basiliskoi. There were Leukrokotas, Ceteas and other beasts I couldn't remember the name for at the moment. It had all started very fast, and no real planned defense had been prepared beside our usual drills for things like this. Things we had trained earlier.

Ares had called all available Olympian fighters and ordered us out more or less head over heels, promising reinforcements when the various war gods became available, armed and deployed. Hastily he had appointed Penthesileia in command and sent us off.

Nevertheless it seemed that our training and preparations for similar situations had been well worth it. Just as planned we had grouped together in smaller sub-militias, 'grabbing the nearest comrade' as Ares had called it. Swiftly we seized our arms of choice before taking off. So now we were out there doing our best to keep the enemies off the American coastline. Out over the ocean they wouldn't be able to do as much damage and it would also be harder for mortals to discover what was going on. Athena's words about the importance of being able to cover up the battle rung in my ear, and with half my brain I wondered what kind of cover up it would be this time. Another natural disaster? A hurricane or a tsunami or something? I felt we were running out of excuses, but I shrugged it off.

Instead my main concentration stayed upon the beasts. Back to back with Bellona I was fighting them with all I had, doing all in my might to be a part of that living 'wall' which was supposed to hinder the Titan forces from reaching America. However soon I was surprised to see that all those beasts we had fought suddenly turned around and headed in the opposite direction, diving down for the surface of the sea. What? Our little group couldn't really have scared them that bad, could we? Astonished I turned around, to see if there was some huge force of reinforcement coming our way. But no, I saw nothing.

Then Kyknos was pointing:  
"Down there! That's their sudden target!" As I followed his raised hand I saw it. A huge cruise ship filled with people steaming its way towards one of those floating paradise resorts which had been so popular over the last two years. Darn! If the Titans and their pet beasts were able to reach down there and start to slaughter people, blood bath would just be the first name. Realizing this, I felt anger swell in my throat and my shoulders and hands starting to shiver by the sudden onrush of adrenaline. I threw myself recklessly after the beasts, with only one thing on my mind - to STOP them! They were NOT going to get those people down there. I was reminded of my parents' fabless for cruises on ships like that and I knew that even if they weren't there right now, there were other people's parents on board that ship. Parents, sisters and brothers, cousins, children, friends...

"No!" I bellowed right out in the air. "You are not going to have those! Curse you Titans for what you have been doing to this planet! Curse you all the way down to Tartarus!" At that moment something red came in front of my eyes and it felt like I lost all common sense and I simply hurled myself right in the middle of the attacking beasts, not bothering with looking in any direction but forwards. I was burning with a strange and primitive desire to crush everything that was Titan and I felt that desire gush through my blood like toxic fire and burning down all restrains in its way, all traces of normal judgement. All remaining was a stark madness like nothing I had ever felt before.  
"Aidra," someone was calling behind me, but it was like I couldn't care less. All and everything that mattered now was stopping these beasts from reaching the ship and the artificial resort.

All that ever mattered was killing those Titans and the monsters accompanying them. And the one to do that was I. The others were too far behind. They didn't count anymore, all that ever existed was me against the Titans, me against the universe.

Not really caring that I soon became encircled by a much larger force than I could possibly take down, I was just screaming and fighting, cutting through the enemies with my blades like a lethal machine, fearing nothing, stopping for nothing. Recklessly and without thinking I kept on slashing and hacking through the forces of the enemies, not even bothering when finding out that I was now surrounded by them on all sides including up and down. The only thing keeping them at bay now was my wild fencing and screaming which seemed to hold even the bravest of enemies off me. Were they scared by my madness? Then this was the way to do it! This was the way to defeat them once and for all! _Come on, Tits! Let me eat you all up and spit you out, feed your bodies to the gathering sharks down there!_

I didn't stop for the large brutes, I only dived between their legs, neutering the male ones as I went, and enlarging the holes of the females. I didn't stop for those who threw energies of magic against me, I only shielded and ducked, making every effort in that way pass me by and instead hitting other enemies behind and next to me. I didn't stop for fire-spewing dragon-like things, even though they set my clothes and even my brows and hair on fire. I didn't stop for the pain that suddenly cut through my shoulder and down my left side or the warm blood I felt streaming down my arm and torso. It just wasn't important enough. The only thing that mattered was stopping the Titans. I wasn't even sure anymore what I was there to stop them from doing. Reaching something, so much did I remember. So I kept on fencing, using my swords like a mad butcher rather than a clever warrior. Upon loosing one of the blades, I grabbed the machine gun on the back and emptied the bullets in the melee instead, still screaming, spinning and somersaulting around so the gunfire hit in every direction. Losing all concept of time I just went on and on, I could have fight for weeks, months, it felt, it simply didn't matter anymore.

At the same time it was as if somebody else, another Aidra was standing outside looking on, wanting to understand what was happening and trying with all her might to stop myself from continuing this madness, trying to save me from myself, trying to save me from getting killed. Because I was not defending myself anymore, my shielding was almost just reflexes and I was bleeding from my back, my right tight and my left side, but I felt as if it wasn't me who was injured and that I couldn't care less. All that mattered was that the Titans had to die, no matter what the cost.

In that manner I was gashing and hacking all around me with the sword that was left, not caring if I was doing it right or not, not caring about what the best strategy would be - and I kept on doing so until something hit me over the head and I saw stars and planets spin and I lost leverage and fell - before the cold surface of the ocean was closing around me. The cold water sort of shook me out of my madness and I tried to reach up again, screaming and choking upon swallowed sea-water and trashing around with arms and legs, realizing with part of my mind that I had lost both swords and machine-gun. Now I couldn't fight anymore! Fuck!

The next second I felt a strong arm encircling my waist and someone who pulled me up, out of the wet element. While I spat and cursed Aristides was carrying me away from the battle.  
"Put me down!" I yelled at grandson of Phobos who was once an Athenian general. "Let me go back there and..."  
"No, Aidra, not this time."  
"But - why?"  
"You just had a fit of berserking, dearest. You're wounded and in case you haven't noticed you've lost your weapon."  
"My..."  
"Don't worry, I've retrieved your blades. But you're not fit for fight anymore."  
"Berserk? Me? But I..."  
"It'll be okay, dear, it happens to everyone sooner or later. Now relax and let me carry you home!"

O0O0O

"It'll be okay, Aidra!" Hekate's voice echoed Aristides' from earlier in the day. Now she was sitting beside my bed where I had been tucked in by her and Kumiko as soon as Aristides had arrived back in New York with me.  
"But - what happened really out there? I lost control?"  
"Yes you did, Aidra, You went berserk. That happens, dear."  
"It does?" I regarded Hekate and then my eyes moved over to Kumiko who was just nodding her head and then I looked back at my very first divine friend.  
"Yes it does," she let me know. "It's the fighting spirit which slips out of control, and you enter a kind of battle-trance, forgetting everything but the next enemy and the next kill."  
"Is that so bad?"  
"Aidra, you killed more Titans and other beasts than ever but at the same time you put yourself at a high risk. I had to heal a rather foul wound in your side, your liver and guts were harmed and it was beyond what Aristides could do."

"So it was really bad then?"  
"Yes, but I suggest you don't worry about that anymore. Put it behind you, it happens to everyone now and then. Especially after hard periods when one is stressed and tired out. What you need now is a few days' rest and relaxation."  
"You girls've been berserking too?"  
"You bet I have." Hekate replied.  
"As have I," Kumiko filled in.

I didn't reply immediately, instead I thought over the situation once more.  
"Can it happen again?" I slowly asked.  
"It can," Kumiko said and folded her hands over her left, jeans-clad knee, tilting her head so her cheek-long black hair fell forward into her face. "But what you can do is trying to recognize the symptoms. Often you get certain ticks just before it happens. A sudden rage and tenseness. A feeling of injustice and helplessness. Soon the adrenaline trigger becomes too heavy and too much of that becomes ejected into your system and you lose control. It's really nothing strange, it's a stone age survival virtue. A way to disconnect the brain and make the body work. A berserk back then might sacrifice him- or herself and at the same time save the tribe. But it's different these days. For one thing we are to stay in control no matter what. We have to be Athena's who always keep our mind cool. But not even Athena can do that, believe me, she has been berserking too. Then - these days - the tribe is bigger - the whole frigging planet Earth. And we can't afford to lose valuable fighters. Not a single one."

"Kumi, Kat? What do I do - next time?"  
"Try to figure what triggered it," Hekate said.  
"It was - That cruise ship. I felt like my parents might as well have been down there. And then came that weird sensation. That feeling that there was no one standing between these people and all those beasts. People who were someone's parents. And sons and sisters and..." I buried my face in my hands as the tears started to flow.  
"Aidra," Hekate laid her hand on my shoulder. "It's all right. Go ahead and cry if you want to. But remember, we're all in this together. We'll stand together, we'll help each other, and no one's going to harm your parents."  
"Kat..."  
"That's the feeling you know. When you feel like this the next time - try not to fight it, but back out of the battle. Not completely but take a few steps back, and make the others do the front line assault. Then you can come after them for the clean-up. And the risk of berserking might be less. Besides, I think it became a bit too much for you to fight so soon after the Big Event."  
"Some kind of Post Dramatic Stress Disorder?"  
"Perhaps," Hekate nodded.

"But someone has to do it, right?"  
"Right! Thus you were all sent out there, you know it's seldom possible to foresee who's going to berserk and who won't."  
"May - therapy help."  
"No, Aidra, I don't think so. Those triggers are a bit too basic. Too deeply embedded in the spine. But don't worry, sweetheart, you can help yourself. Now I suggest you lay back and relax and when you feel a bit better you give me a call."  
"Therapy is so overrated," Kumiko filled in.  
"Kat, Kumi, how did it go?"  
"The battle - oh, it went fine. The few Titans you left behind were soon incapacitated by the others," Hekate smiled.

O0O0O

When my friends had left I laid back in my bed, looked out through the window at the blue sky and the fluffy clouds up there, thinking over the situation. Berserk, that was in fact nothing new, although I had never been affected myself earlier. Yet I had seen it happen back during my time in the NYPD. Some cops flipping, believing they were in some war. It was, just as Hekate had said, something that happened after a lot of stress. Those policemen who did it had often been under a huge pressure during a long time. So came the grain to tip the scale and they just lost it and went all mad. Usually those cops had to go in therapy for an extended amount of time combined with a long leave. Or in worst cases they were forced to leave the police corps completely. In that case I thought the Olympians' understanding of the situation was a lot more better. They didn't condemn. Or at least Hekate and Kumiko hadn't. Neither had Aristides.

The second day I felt a bit better and I went downtown and had my hair cut and coloured and my nails fixed. I also did some shopping, walked down the streets and felt a stroke of normalcy in my otherwise so absurd life. When I returned home again, I made a roundabout, passed by the police station where I had worked and then my old home, and it felt almost like I could have entered both houses and everything would have been just like before. Before the event with that asshole Clifford Nantes and then with Kat, Ares and everything. Less than a year ago - my life had been normal. I almost missed it

Then a car drove by, playing Solinvictus' Manhattan Mirage on maximum level.

_Little girl of New York City  
Believe me when I call you pretty  
Flattering isn't an easy art  
Or is this guy only half smart  
But girl you're not like the other muses!  
You make me blow my fuses_

Apollo!

No, life couldn't go back to normal again!

O0O0O

When I entered the war room at Ares' two days later I felt like everyone was staring at me and I almost wanted to jump up on the large ebony table and yell 'Look, here comes the freak!' to just get it over with.

Then Saxa came over and gave me a large hug and told me:  
"You did great the other day. You inspired us all with your zest."  
"It wasn't zest. I went berserk, Saxa, I blew it so bad!"  
"No, you didn't. Or well perhaps just a little. Whatever we've all been there done that."  
"Berserking?"  
"Yes. It's part of life just as laughter and tears. Well, perhaps not for everybody, but anyone who do war will eventually end up going round the bend like that. When it happens to mortals they usually end up dead, but our kind stay alive."  
"Aidra, you were awesome!" Alala added. "So get over it!"

And Bellona next to Saxa said:  
"Nice hairdo." Then she started to tell me that Penthesileia and Xantos were back together again and that someone had seen them doing indecent things in the library of Ares at the celebratory party. I grinned but I didn't bother with telling that I had seen the couple too. After all I felt like I had stolen enough thunder for now. Nevertheless I had to ask:  
"Have you berserked? Ever?"  
"Yes I have," Bellona replied. "I guess I might speak for everyone else in here when I claim that. It's something that just happens. Let it go, Aidra."  
"But I feel like such a..."  
"You were tired and stressed out." Saxa insisted. "Now be a good girl and do as aunt Alala says and get over it, there are new things about to happen around soon. I guess Athena and Ares are preparing some kind of plan."  
"'Aunt Alala' I'll get you for that, darn Brit!" the other goddess said and aimed a half-bad swing at Saxa who laughingly stepped away from it.

At that very moment came Ares and he soon began talking about how some of us had found Bin Laden and the plans for taking that monster out. Androkles had been right, the Americans were sending in the Navy Seals, Deimos' creation of U.S. supersoldiers, a force especially invented for assignments like this. He only mentioned it shortly though, but went right to our upcoming plans. I could almost hear the signature of Mission Impossible start playing in the background as Ares went over what was going to happen over the next weeks. Then I felt it too, that the battle we had just fought was very much in the past, including my berserk fit. So perhaps it wasn't that important. Perhaps what everyone had looked at was really my hair. Because it hadn't been stort and red earlier...


	27. The war within the war

**The war within the war**

"We took the first wave," Ares said and leaned back in his chair. "We pushed them back, killed enough of them that they had to withdraw and regroup. But this is far from over, don't forget that. According to their planes there will be four more similar waves, including more exotic beasts. We have seen plans involving hydras and manticores. Now we all know what will happen if these creatures reach the human civilization. It would be the Godzilla movie come true. So I want you all to prepare for four more waves. Possibly of increasing force. We are going to take these beasts and we're going to defeat them! And our major upper hand is that the Titans still don't know that we've hacked their system and know all their plans."  
"How can we be so sure of that?" Polemos asked, doubt heard in his deep bass. "How can we be so sure that they aren't feeding us disinformation?"  
"It's good to be suspicious, son," Ares responded. "But in this case I trust you don't need to worry. The Titans aren't that good at keeping such appearances up. We have seen it earlier through history, they don't have poker faces. Sooner or later they're blowing their covers sky high, and it's almost always way earlier than the point we have reached now."

"But wouldn't be good to still have a Plan B?" Penthesileia suggested. She was sitting next to Xantos almost on the opposite side of the table from me, and I could tell that they were holding hands under the table. Seeing them, I recalled Apollo's reaction when he had heard that I had berserked over the Atlantic. Once again he had been trying to make me leave the force of divine warriors. And once again I had refused very heartily. While the others went on discussing strategy, my mind kept wandering back to the argument I and my beloved had had yesterday. Remembering my own rage when I had yelled at him:  
"Why is it so important to you that I leave Ares' group? First were you trying to convince me to join Athena down in South Africa and then you wanted me to join your group. Apollo, why?"  
"Is it so strange to you that a man wants to be with the woman he loves? We hardly see each other now and when we do we fight like this."

"It isn't my fault!"  
"It's not a question about who's 'fault' it is."  
"Then what is it about? Why do I have to leave Ares' group?"  
"I've said it before, I don't want you to be in danger and I do want to be with you! I love you Aidra! Please..."  
"Apollo, I too want to be with you. But if I leave now I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror and take pride in myself. I need you. But I also need to respect myself."

Then we hugged and kissed and we had ended up making love. In spite I was still feeling uncomfortable and sad with the situation. There were so many conflicting emotions wrestling inside of me, trying to gain an upper hand. Meanwhile I kept feeling more and more lost and indecisive. I loved Apollo, so of course I wanted to be with him all the time. To have him holding me, to talk with him about all and everything and feel the completeness in our togetherness. At the same time I saw the pain in his eyes when I told him I had to go away for yet another battle. I had promised him in Paris to hand in my resignation with the divine forces. A promise I had broken because I felt that it was wrong of me to quit being a warrior with a world in such a dire need of defenders. I sure could need someone to talk to.

With those thought buzzing around behind my forehead I glanced over at Saxa. She looked tired and was doodling in a notebook. Blocks and circles in a random pattern. Neither the twins nor Paradox were around. The former were guarding the New York perimeter together with Deimos and Ishiro and the latter had left for California together with Narion, Nerio, Elaos and Astyokhe to keep up the security over there.

"...Aidra, Saxa, Kyknos, Hekate, Bellona, Androkles and Aristides will go to Washington DC this time and help the guys down there," Ares was saying. "Kyknos you'll keep up the outer defence while Romulus stays within the Pentagon. If he feels the need to strengthen the defence around the political assembly and the White House, he'll use perhaps two or three of you. Discuss it with him, Kyk! Penthesileia, you take Xantos, Bia, Akheloios, Oenomaus and Dinamarca and..."

So I was going to DC. That felt inspiring, perhaps I'll get to see Barak Obama live. No matter that I was meeting gods every day now, I still felt a certain excitement at the thought of seeing the President of the United States live. I smiled in spite of everything and then I looked up and met Saxa's eyes, she was beaming back and giving me a thumbs-up sign. It was obvious she liked the assignment as well.

"... Keiko, Lysandros, Kydoimos, Kumiko and Palaistra to Area 51. The rest of you guys stay here." Ares finished and then he sighed, drunk some water from a glass by his side and resumed: "Okay, I know that several of you are tired and stressed at the moment. But is it too much to ask you to pay attention at least for ten minutes. Enyalios? Where were you going?"  
"Uh..." Ares' and Enyo's son looked up, "...well, I was going to Toronto. Together with Phobos, Lachias, Alala, Lalith and Homados. To defend the secret magic research facility."  
"Good. You did pay attention to your own group's assignment at least. Yes, Bia?"  
"Why am I not getting my own team? Why am I going with Penthesileia? I didn't do that bad in Raqalas, did I? At least..."  
"Bia, I wasn't the least displeased with your performance over there. But we need to try different constellations to keep the creativity up. Or else we'll lose initiative. And this time I wanted to test Keiko and Polemos as team leaders. It's been a while since any of them managed a troop."

"But Ares, we've never done it like this before!" Bia kept protesting.  
"That doesn't mean it's wrong or too late to start now."  
"But Ares..."  
"Bia! End of discussion!" The war god cut her off, and as I glanced over at Bia I could tell that she was fuming, cheek clamped and shoulders tense. She had lead sixteen gods into the city of Raqalas, a mix of Ares' and Athena's people, and apparently there had been some internal disagreement. Even if their venture had gone fairly well, Palamaon, Britomartis and Cloë from Athena's group had not been happy about certain things which taken place and they had sure let the world know about it. So I assumed that Ares and Athena had had a discussion about that later on. Besides, Ares was right about the benefit of stirring the pot sometimes, having people working in different teams and with different leaders. It was a well-known way to boost creativity. He had tried it in the NYPD as Marc Harris as well, so to me it was a familiar experience.

Ares had talked a bit more about arms and armament and then he had adjourned the meeting, telling the people who were going to that aircraft carrier to stay a while for some more information. As I left the war room I stopped in the hallway and caught Saxa, telling her I wanted to talk. I could need some second opinion about Apollo's and mine relation.

0O0O0O

"Aidra, he has to learn to accept you as who you are," Saxa was soon saying. "You're no muse. Well, not at the moment at least. However you are a warrior, and you will always be one."  
"But I... I want to be with him," I said while regarding my friend intensely. "At the same time I want to do my thing. And I'm so over our arguments and his tries to have me leave the force. As a matter of fact I did promise him to do just that in a moment of weakness."  
"Why did you do that, when you know you don't want to?"  
"I was convinced by the man I love, is that really so strange?"  
"Aidra, you'll have to..." Saxa begun when Penthesileia cut in:  
"Sorry, but I couldn't hear what you two were talking about."

As I turned to look at the Amazon she cast a glance over her shoulder and then she pushed us a bit up in the corridor, in the opposite direction of where everyone were leaving. We ended up beneath a large oil painting of a Jedi fighting a Sith, their coloured light sabres in a stark contrast to the sullen gray-brown dystopian landscape surrounding them. I had spent some idle time admiring this painting as well as a lot other paintings with war and battle motifs which Ares kept in his apartment. This one was signed O.A. 1995, and I wondered who O.A. was. That it was an immortal was something I was certain about, since the oldest O.A. painting I've seen was from 1083, depicting Romans battling Carthagians.

"Aidra, your problem might get solved by itself soon. If it'll actually happen, what I'm hearing dad, Athena and Hercules talking about."  
"What do you mean?" I asked Penthesileia, taking my eyes from the Star Wars motif.  
"Dad wants to draft almost the whole Olympos. Even the major part of the Council of Twelve and their administrative personnel. He believes a lot more fighters are needed over the next few months, perhaps years."  
"So, he'll try to recruit Apollo as well?"  
"Yes."  
"But he's no..."  
"Aidra, he might not regard himself as a warrior these days," Penthesileia explained. "But he used to fight well earlier. He's been fighting Titans as well as beasts."  
"He's an awesome archer," Saxa added.

"I recall hearing something about that," I thought out aloud. "But what if he doesn't want?"  
"Aidra, this is not recruitment we're talking here, this is drafting."  
"What's the difference?" I asked, trying to distinguish the similar-sounding words in Ancient Greek.  
"A drafting is when it's mandatory to sign up," Penthesileia explained. "Here in the USA there has been an army based upon recruitment most of the times. But for instance during the Viet Nam War there was a draft policy instead. Young men had to join the army. And were sent to 'Nam."  
"Yes I remember that," I said. "Seeing old TV docu's about Hippies burning their draft bills. My old friend Luisa's dad actually went to prison because of that back in 1972. Ironically the war was over before he got out again."

Penthesileia chuckled and then she said:  
"Since I cannot see Apollo burning his draft bill, even if he did look like quite the hippie back in those days, the two of you might end up in the same group as well. After all Dad usually..."  
"Like you and Xantos," Saxa grinned and Penthesileia replied:  
"Oh, shut up, Avalon girl. I do remember a certain Norio and..."  
"He was a dork, son of a pork, and it was over before it even started." Saxa pouted.  
"Oh, I can't say that. What was it, 30 years?"  
"What is this really about?" I couldn't help asking.  
"Long story, way back. A Scottish god." Penthesileia told. Then I was fed the whole story in spite of Saxa's wild protests. Apparently that love affair had started off with some kind of one night stand which had sort of become extended. And it had been the cause of some embarrassing moments for my friend and in the end she had threw out the Scotsman. He was now living somewhere in the Aether, in a minor pantheon not connected to Earth anymore.

Pushing that Scotchman to the side I asked again:  
"So what you're saying, Leia, is that Apollo might be drafted into our group and have to fight the Titans with us."  
"Or with any of Athena's or Hercules' groups," explained Penthesileia.  
"And if he's in, so is Artemis," Saxa added.  
"Oh, I don't know about that," the Amazon added.  
"I know you've had your differences with Artemis," Saxa said. "But you cannot deny she's a good fighter. And she'll go where Apollo goes."  
"Not so sure about that anymore," Penthesileia made a face. "Anyhow I'll do my best to stay clear of that woman."

I sighed as Saxa and Penthesileia started to discuss some events way back in time. So Leia and Artemis held grudges. Well, I figured the smartest thing I could do was staying outside of whatever it might be about.

0O0O0O

The next day it was all over the medias - the death of Osama Bin Laden. Deimos had brought his Navy Seals into Pakistan and taken the beast out. The man had been hiding in the Pakistani boondocks, playing family life with his latest wife and kids, a family he apparently had had no problem sacrificing in his attempts to get away. But no matter that Osama was half-Titan, he and his daemon bodyguards didn't stand a chance against the Seals, who had soon cleaned house in a very cowboy style way and then transmitting the pictures of the deed all over the world. Then came President Obama's speech and then some pictures where the president milled with military hot shots, including a Deimos in dress-uniform who looked like a cat who had just taken a big fat mouse. Or a vole.

0O0O0O

I had hardly arrived in Washington DC when I got to see Barak Obama for real. And a bit more than that. The President had been to the Pentagon for a brief about the Osama adventure. When he was on his way back to his office in the White House he stopped outside to answer more questions from eager journalists. Mostly about Osama Bin Laden of course but also something about a legislation which might not pass the Senate and his opinion about those strange light phenomena which had been seen outside the coast of Florida - were the Cubans up to something fishy? Or could it be the aliens coming, someone a bit more daring asked. Aristides and I stopped some ten metres from the president with escort and watched. It was then I saw the thug. A large man exiting from a vehicle a bit away. The vehicle looked perfectly fine; it was a delivery van of some kind, white with the red letters VEYRA printed upon it in a swirly font and a www address beneath. But it was something peculiar with the thug - as if he had some kind of dark aura surrounding him. Not necessarily evil, more like he was trying to hide something from the world. That naturally arose my curiosity and when I looked closer I saw that his aural pattern was different from the majority around – now, this was no human being. His humanity was only a superficial appearance. This being was - what?

I focused, trying to get a better view through my sub-sights as well. At the same time I asked Aristides, without even glancing at him:  
"What's that, you reckon?"  
"Not sure, but it looks like... Watch it!" The last was almost called out aloud as the being reached inside of his jacket and brought out something. A heavy gun like in a bad movie, and then he leaped across the street with an inhuman speed, clearly aimed for President Obama.

The next second a seemingly insignificant man in a dark suite and an ear-piece took a step forward and rose his right hand. Without even changing expression in that face of stone he shot a red bolt of magic energy across the street. At the same time I got a fast message mind-spoken in my head:  
_Aidra, Aristides, A code CU64 manoeuvre! _The same second as Romulus' words were spoken in my head the being fell down on the asphalt and started melt away as if covered in acid and an acrid stench was felt over the area. I glanced over to Ares's son, who was working as a United States Secret Service officer when he didn't do divine fighting. Then I started for the melting being on the asphalt, covering myself with a shield of protection as I went. Aristides was not far behind, while Romulus had turned back and was ordering his Secret Service colleagues to quickly escort the president inside. Around me I could hear mortals crying out in fear and surprise and the crowd wavering to and from as if it was one single big membrane.

A code CU64. CU meant Cover Up and 64 meant that we had to take care of a pacified supernatural attacker, making it look like just another mortal madman or something else more or less 'natural' in the human world. That was something I knew had become more and more 'routine' over the centuries ever since the murder of Julius Caesar, just before the outbreak of the Second Titan War. After a few hard beginnings, these cover-ups and stopped murder attempts had been going smoother and smoother, with a few exceptions like the killings of the Kennedy brothers and Martin Luther King.

Now I found myself standing over by the dying beast, putting a cloud of concealment over the melting body while Aristides were neutralizing the acrid stench in the air and sending out a mind distracting spell over the closest vicinity. Because of this spell those who had been close enough to actually see anything happening would have hard to remember what they had really seen, and thus rationalizing the event with a 'normal' attempt at the president. I made up a picture of a dead man on the ground with a gun lying next to him and crimson blood discolouring the asphalt. Everything very realistic and just like countless of similar sights I had seen as a police officer. Meanwhile Aristides was waving a CIA badge, telling people to back off and that there was nothing more to see here. The usual cop clichés which I've heard countless of times as well, not to mention blurting them out myself.

A few seconds later sirens were heard and then an ambulance was breaking hard next to me. A side window was wound down and Bellona's curly head was seen:  
"That's the one?" she asked.  
"Or at least the rests of it," I replied as I squatted down, picking up a duranium chain from the ground. It held an amulet with some kind if glyphs upon. A 'dog tag' perhaps. I rose and handed it over to Ares' sister, asking her what she made out of it. Bellona took the chain with the medallion in her hand and turned it over, wrinkling her brows.  
"A Laistrygon, if I'm not mistaken. On the other hand those beings have been neutral in the war. Why would they get involved now? And making an attempt at President Obama?"  
"What's a Laistrygon?" I asked as Kephalos and Eleusis jumped out from the back of the cars and began a mock retrieval of 'the dead body' of the failed assassin. Kephalos and Eleusis were children of Hermes, usually stationed in DC and gods I had only met briefly before. Kephalos had partaken in the Big Event while Eleusis had remained in the American capital 'just in case'.

Bellona handed the 'dog tag' back to me and said:  
"Give it to Katy, she's better than me at these things. And see you tonight at Romy's place." Then she made a heart with her hands before she hit the gear and the ambulance drove off, no sirens, telling that the cargo was a dead body. I remained next to Aristides with a dog tag in my hand and with my eyes trained on the asphalt where nothing could be seen save for the fake discolouring of blood which had to remain there for a while to make it all more realistic. I cast a spell; the next rain would wash the blood stains away.

0O0O0O

"The Laistrygons were a Central European sub-race of Giants." Romulus said as he turned the medallion of the 'dog tag' over. "They have been gone from the world since the mid 12:th century - as one of the last surviving giant tribes in fact."

We were sitting in a suite of sofas in one of the anterooms of the White House, a bit to the side behind some large potted palm trees, and I was once again stricken by the absurdity of the situation. Here I was - in the White House - the very heart and symbol of the United States of America, talking to the Secret Service agent who had just stopped a try at murdering the President of the United States. Yet nothing was what it seemed. The Secret Service Special Agent with an identity tag reading 'Romeo Luz' was a more than 2700 year old Olympian god and neither I nor Aristides were the CIA agents who our badges proved us to be. Finally that murderer, who - or what had he been?

"So you don't believe it was a Laistrygon?" Aristides wanted to know.  
"I don't think so." Romulus shook his head. "If they haven't been recovered genetically, either through an evolutional loop, evoking genes hidden within the Human DNA or through artificial ways."  
"Artificial, as in...?" I asked.  
"Cloning," Romulus answered.  
"As in... Dolly the sheep?" became my next question, yes this was getting more and more absurd.  
"Hardly." Aristides replied. "Magic cloning is more stable and secure than doing it the medical way. As it was done with the famous sheep. Magically cloned cells don't suffer from the 'old age faults' and are of a much more safe and sturdy kind than the medical ones."  
"Gee! So it's just going to take the right magic to create armies of..."  
"No, not really," Aristides said. "There's still the risks with too similar individuals. In my opinion we're never going to see hundreds of marching Jango Fetts crossing the battlefields of the word."

"Never mind the clones," Romulus shrugged it off. "The Laistrygons as well as the few remaining European giants died during the Black Death in the 14:th century. I see no reason why an artificially awakened Laistrygon should carry a dog-tag like this. This symbol isn't even Giantic, but Elven. Still the Elves have an even lesser reason to go after a human president."  
"Hired assassin?" I guessed.  
"Possibly. But if that grunt was an Elf, then I'm Hillary Clinton," Aristides replied.  
"Still, the sign says _'Ushitn'_ in Elven," said Romulus. "That's the Elven name for Washington. But it does also mean president. So the sign might be an order either to come to this very town or to go after Obama."  
"Dorothy, we haven't been in Kansas in a looong time," I said and drank from my glass of mineral water. Both men chuckled at that and Romulus went on:  
"No, we're not even in the Titan War anymore. I guess little doggie Toto has sniffed us right up the blood-stained brick road and into The War Within the War."  
"What?" I protested. "Hey, now that's yet another new term, gentlemen!"  
"Yes, for most of us it still is." Romulus said. "We're going to need father and Athena over here now."

Next second a bulky, black man in the same kind of suit as Romulus came over to us where we were sitting:  
"Special Agent Luz?" As the son of Ares looked up the other Secret Service officer went on: "The president wants to see you." And Romulus rose with a:  
"You have to excuse me, milady, gentleman, the Commander in Chief calls." Then he took my hand, bent over and kissed it and the black man huffed:  
"Romeo, do you always have to be such an anachronistic romantic?" to which Aristides laughed out loud, making several heads around us turn.  
"You'll have to excuse my colleague, Jack. By the way those CIA officers are Aidra York and Aristide Ross. And my colleague is Jack Simmons. Then I guess you two can find your ways out by yourself."  
"Pleased to meet you," Jack Simmons said and then he and Romulus left, but not before Romulus had returned that strange 'dog tag' to me again.

0O0O0O

"Yes, the war within the war," Athena began, "That's a term Ares and I've started to use for these strange things which has been going on for a while now. Seems like the Titans are not content with instigating other races against humans, but they are also trying to stir up strife between the various other races as well. The elves versus the dwarves is a well-known plot which lasted for centuries, until the dwarves finally perished. But prompting humans against elves as in this case is new."  
"Humans against elves?" Romulus asked, toying with his Secret Service badge. "Yeah that's new. So that's what you think this was about? Sounds like a long shot to me. The humans in general don't know about the elves. Lesser do they know about the Elven glyphs and that the very glyph on the medallion Aidra retrieved meant _'Ushitn'."_  
"Which is?" Androkles asked and once more did Romulus have to tell that it could mean either Washington or President, since the Elves connected the term 'president' to the American who first had held the office.

"Apparently someone knew that you guys were around," Ares said. "And decided to use that information to trick us into believing there were Elves coming for President Obama. What thwarted that plane became Aristides' long experiences with Elves. Which made him recognize that being for anything but an Elf."  
"He didn't even look like an Elf, not even close," Aristides huffed.  
"Shit, that's brave. Risky." Bellona stated at the same time, kicked off her shoes and then pulling up her legs beneath her in the sofa.

Sitting in a sofa between Saxa and Kephalos I took a look around in the living room of Romulus. The old Roman didn't have a war room so we had gathered in his stately living room around a roaring fireplace, drinking coffee and liquors after the dinner the European way. Not until now were we talking about today's event, Athena had insisted that we should eat first and discuss business afterwards. A very reasonable idea, we all needed a break from the war now and then or we'd get all stuck within it. So after leaving the dining room and moving in here we could return to our war. In the gathering were also Kyknos, Hekate, Bellona, Eleusis and Nisos, the latter another DC resident and yet another son of Ares. Finally there was Potestas, who had arrived together with Athena.

"Yes it's risky." Athena replied "However it's not the first time the Titans have been trying to set us up against the Elves."  
"Wait a moment," Eleusis said. "If they knew we were around they would probably also know that an attempt against Obama under these circumstances was not going to succeed."  
"Right," Ares replied. "They were very much aware of that. In fact it was a suicidal mission, I'm not sure if the guy who went after Obama knew that he was going to die, but his superiors definitely knew it. And they weren't after the US president, it was just some kind of red herring. The idea was planting some disinformation that the Elves wanted Barak Obama dead for whatever reason. And in return we would waste time on going after the Elves."  
"That's the magic word, Ares." Athena said. "Disinformation. A nice little diversion to have us occupied with some imaginary enemies of the United States while the real foe did some other mischief somewhere else."  
"We gotta get them for this!" Bellona stated.

"Sure," her sister said. "We just need a clue to start with."  
"The 'dog-tag'," I suggested. "Some DNA upon it perhaps?"  
"Yes," Athena replied. "Or better yet, some lingering energies which we can use to see where it has been, who's been having it, what has been taking place around it. Give the medallion to Hekate, Aidra, and see what she can make out of it!" The goddess of wisdom then glanced across the table towards the goddess of witchcraft and magic. Hekate nodded silently and I took out the cursed medallion from one of the pockets of my hoodie and handed it over, glad to finally get rid of the thing. It gave me the creeps and it was not just because it had been carried by a supernatural assassin. Now, Hekate confirmed my feelings by almost dropping the medallion while she took it from me.  
"Curse!" she spat. "This dreadful piece is filled with negative energies."  
"Thing is cursed?" Kephalos asked.  
"Indeed it is," Hekate replied. "Whatever I'm able to retrieve from it, it's not going to be good news."  
"Whatsoever just do it!" Ares told.

0O0O0O

Not much later was I back at the hotel where I was staying together with the rest of the force who were lacking a home nearby. When I closed the door behind me a horrid feeling of fatigue washed over me, almost buckling my knees and I felt like I hadn't slept in ages. It was as if the bad energies of that 'dog tag' had almost worn me out, drained me! It was almost too much to go into the bathroom and brush my teeth and wash off the light make-up I wore. Then I tore off my clothes and was in bed within seconds and I hardly remembered the head hitting the pillow before I was sound asleep...

...but with sleep came the nightmare.

I was carrying that foul 'dog tag' around my neck as I was walking through what appeared to be a forest - no it was a kind of Greek ruin, an endless procession of pillars running off in every direction, and more or less covered in wine and ivy, moonlight seeping through a cracked ceiling or a thick cover of vegetation. The ground - or the floor - was even and cold beneath my bare feet. In the dream I was looking for something - or someone connected to the medallion. The medallion, which I now for some reason was wearing around my neck. Someone who was going to have it or interpret it or do something else with it. What, I did not know. The only thing I knew was that it was important and that I had to hurry or it would be late.

Hearing nothing but heartbeat in my ears and the rustling of the wind through leaves I sped up my steps, hastened through this enormous gallery. As I was pressing myself forward I soon realised that the floor was sloping. Slowly I was descending with it - until I reached some kind of clearing where water had filled a depression in the floor. A kind of large reflecting pool with eerily still water, glittering like mercury in the stark, monochromic moonlight. Three steps were leading down into the water, and in the middle of a pool was a tiny 'island' with a gazebo upon. A small light shone in the middle of the gazebo, but I was unable to make out anything from it, there were just shadows beneath that toppy roof. It was that island I had to reach.

Brazing myself against the chill of the water I took the three steps down in the shallow pond. Then I started to walk through the water, the waft of mist drifting across the surface being the only thing that moved. Even the chilly water seemed still, hardly even swirling around my ankles. The walk seemed to last forever, and for every step I took I got more and more anxious, more and more feeling that the duranium chain of the medallion was trying to strangle me. Yet finally I reached the gazebo and now I saw that there was somebody sitting in a cane-chair with his back against me. And in front of him was a table with a single candle burning. The man was holding something in his right hand which was hanging kind of gammy from the torso.

As I finally walked out of the water and up another three steps I called out to that man in the chair, but he didn't appear to have heard. So I walked up closer and placed a hand upon his shoulder, shaking lightly. Still no reaction. But now I did recognize the coloured man. It was no other than Barak Obama sitting there in the gazebo by that sole candle light. Not letting go I took the few steps around the table, trying to get a reaction from him. But as I looked into his face I saw that it was but a skull. A skull with a hole by the temple, and as I looked down that gammy arm I spotted a gun in the hand frozen stiff by rigor mortis. Then someone was talking behind me:  
"You know you could never had saved him, Aidra," the grinding, evil voice said. A voice of a stranger, yet I was certain I had heard it before.

I screamed and I screamed until my own screams woke me up and I was bathing in cold sweat, staring at the moon shining in trough the thin curtains, since I had forgotten to pull the thick night ones.


	28. The daemon in the dream

**The daemon in the dream  
**_A/N I've done some alterations to the myth of Romulus and Remus to give it a bit more realistic touch._

"Hekate did find some interesting things," Bellona told me by the breakfast table the next morning. "Apparently she sat up the whole night with that spooky medallion you took from the would-be president-murderer."

Involuntarily I grasped around my neck where I had felt the 'dog-tag' during the night. The daylight and the smell of coffee and toast had managed to chase away most of the dread of the nightmare. Nevertheless I was still fighting the suffocating feel of the chain around my neck.  
"What did she learn?" I asked the other goddess.  
"Foremost... apparently the carrier of the medallion didn't go voluntarily on his mission. Some kind of coercion had been laid upon him. Magically evoked no doubt." (that was the explanation to the suffocating feel, I instinctively understood.) "He knew it was a suicidal mission." (Obama in my dream had shot himself) "But he had to go!"

Shivering in the warmth of the crowded room, I took yet another sip of my coffee. As I did my eyes drifted up to the TV set up in the right corner where a CBS talking head was telling something with a muted voice. Then the picture cut over to a still of the White House and then a picture of the street in front of it - where the attempt at assassination had taken place yesterday! Bellona, who saw my eyes wander, turned and looked too.  
"Shit, there's... us!" she said as the picture cut again and again, showing grainy cell phone snapshots of the event, a man running across the street, reaching inside of his coat inner pocket, a Secret Service agent with a gun (Romulus) and then me by that ambulance, leaning towards the window (talking to Bellona) while Kephalos and Eleusis were 'retrieving the body'. A part of my mind was elated that my concealing magic had worked for electronic devices as well. I was learning!  
"Yeah," I replied as the talking head returned to the TV screen, now with the legend beneath reading 'Attempted murder against president Obama'. "But as far as I can tell from that silent news report, there's nothing out of the ordinary with the event. And with 'out of the ordinary' I mean some hint at supernatural events."

"There never are with mortals," Bellona pointed out with a dry voice and I nodded - she was right. The mortals were eagerly shunning all and everything which might have the slightest to do with things they couldn't explain with their blunt and simple scientific methods. They saw what they wanted to see, and they were so good at fooling themselves that we hardly needed to do a thing to cover up in certain cases. Even I, a newbie at magic, could cloak their minds and fool their cell phones. What then weren't in the might of the more skilled gods?  
"They'll probably speculate that this might be an attempt as revenge for Bin Ladin," I said and grabbed another egg, starting to peal it.

"Good morning, girls!" a good natured voice was heard and as I turned I faced Hekate coming towards us, power dressed in pin striped two-set and a cream white blouse. "Slept well?"  
"Not really," I replied. "Had nightmares triggered by yesterday's event. What's with the dressing up?" I asked and went over my own black jeans and gray cotton hoodie and Bella who was dressed more or less the same.  
"I'm meeting some fancy pansy people at the White House today. Going to see some films from security cams. There might be a slight chance that 'our man' is on them. And even if he's disguised I might be able to demanipulate the films. Rom is letting me in, but then again the White House is the White House, and I'm supposed to be a CIA hot shot, and then I cannot look like a regular undercover police like you girls. Nightmares, Aidra?"  
"Yeah. I dreamt I was choked by that dog-tag." I began. And before I knew it I had told Bellona and Hekate my nightmare. The former didn't look like she thought it might be more than another dream, but Hekate was of another opinion. She took a chair and sat down.

"Yes you came through while I was working on the medallion, Aidra," the goddess of magic said. "There was something you wanted to say but I didn't get it. Probably because you're not used to subconscious communications yet and that you were frightened."  
"Why was that?" I asked. "Why did I...?"  
"Because you were the first one to take the medallion, you probably held it in your hand while that beings spirit was still around, before it passed over to the dimensions down under. Therefore it's possible that you received some impressions which your brain started to process while you were asleep, and then you tried to tell them to me although I didn't get it. Aidra! When I'm back from the White House I'd like to put you under hypnosis to see if there's something worth retrieving."  
"Why?" I felt myself pale. "Is that really necessary?"  
"Yes, I think it is," the older goddess said firmly.

I swallowed and twisted slightly in my chair, shuffled my feet, but both Bellona and Hekate told me that I had nothing to worry about. Something might scare me, but nothing was truly dangerous.  
"I'll walk you through, dearest," Hekate promised. "Now finish your breakfast and then make sure to get in touch with Kyknos! He has made a new scheme of surveillance since yesterday's events."  
"Where's he now?" Bellona asked while helping herself to more orange juice.  
"In the gym, I guess. I talked to him right before I got here and then he was down there. And you know how much time he spends in these facilities."

I chuckled. Kyknos was such a gym rat. He and Kratos. Although the latter was more a martial arts freak while Kyknos preferred to lift heavy weights not using divine power, just to add to his muscle mass. Not that he wasn't large as King Kong already.

O0O0O

"I want you to relax, Aidra. Feel that your body is devoid of tenseness and worries. I want you to let go of all the things that trouble you. Let go of private dilemmas and of war preparations. Let go of mixed feelings towards your duties and let go of physical awarenesses disturbing you."

I was lying on the bed in my hotel room, curtains drawn and the room resting in a reddish dusk created by some magic lights floating around me. Hekate, who was sitting upon the bed, had muted the sounds of the traffic and other things outside the window as well. In the room were also Athena and Aristides, both of them sitting in the couch a bit away, silently observing Hekate's tries at hypnotizing me. I had never been hypnotized before and I had a slight suspicion that it might not work, still I was a bit anxious. What if that nightmare returned and scared the wits out of me? What if I started babbling about embarrassing things? I sure wanted to be anywhere but here, even out there in the rain where Kyknos had assigned Saxa and Androkles to keep an eye on the city perimeter, the Atlantic sea and other suspected directions from which a Titan attack might come.

"That's fine, Aidra, now relax a bit more. Feel how your body becomes heavy and soft, completely relaxed. Feel how everything around you become less important. What matters now is what I'm going to ask of you. First of all, if you're with me, move your right hand. That'll imply a 'yes'."

To Hekate's words I fluttered a bit with my right hand, as an attempt to wave it and Hekate made a liking sound before she went on:  
"Now make the same movement with your left hand, that would imply a 'no' from now on.

I obeyed that request too and then Hekate went on telling me to relax, that she was going to start counting slowly backwards from ten, and when she finished doing so I would be in a state of hypnosis.  
"10,9,8, relax now, 7,6, go deeper Aidra, 5, 4, 3...

[I want you to remember what you wanted to tell me tonight. I want you to remember that place you visited in your dream and the understanding you got from the medallion you refer to as the 'dog-tag'... What was that voice? Who? In my head?]

_I was carrying that foul 'dog tag' around my neck as I was walking through the Greek ruin, an endless procession of pillars running off in every direction, and more or less covered in wine and ivy, moonlight seeping through a cracked ceiling or a thick cover of vegetation. The ground - or the floor - was even and cold beneath my bare feet_.

"I am - looking for something - no someone. Someone who carried that medallion. He was here. In the ruin... "  
[Who was it - take your time Aidra!]  
"No, I can't. I have to hurry or I'll lose him."  
[You're certain it was a he?]  
"It was - the one who tried to shoot Obama... was a he... I think..."  
[What do you think, dear?]  
"Now I am not - so sure anymore."  
[Is that being there?]  
"No - not now."  
[Then go further, Aidra. You went somewhere else in the dream. That place with the water which I saw.]  
"Yes, yes it was..."

_A kind of large reflecting pool with eerily still water, glittering like mercury in the stark, monochromic moonlight. Three steps were leading down in the water, and in the middle of a pool was a tiny 'island' with a gazebo upon. It was that island I had to reach._

[What's on the island?]  
"Kat, it's... I don't remember."  
[Yes you do. If you go there again, you will remember.]  
"Do I - have to? It was - scary."  
[Please Aidra! I need to know who did this, who was behind this.]

_Brazing myself against the chill of the water I took the three steps down in the pond. Then I started to walk across the water. A walk that seemed to last forever, and for every step I took I got more and more anxious. Yet finally I reached the gazebo and now I saw that there was somebody sitting in a cane-chair with his back against me. And in front of him was a table with a single candle burning. The man was holding something in his right hand..._

"He had - a gun. He had shot... he had killed himself..."  
[I remember that picture you're transmitting in my mind now. That's the very one I want.]  
"Yes, it was... he was..."

_It was no other than Barak Obama sitting there in the gazebo by that sole candle light. But as I looked into his face I saw that it was but a skull. A skull with a hole by the temple._

"Kat, it was the President." I almost sobbed. "And then... then there was someone talking to me. Some stranger who... He, she it - said..."  
_"You know you could never had saved him, Aidra,"_  
"I recognized that voice. Kat, I've heard it before..."

[Relax, sweetie! Send me the picture again! Of the president. It's not really him you're seeing, right?]  
"But - the voice...?"  
[It's not really important right now. Aidra, concentrate upon what you saw in that gazebo!]  
"I..."

_Barak Obama sitting there in the gazebo by that sole candle light._  
_Barak Obama sitting there._  
_Barak Obama sitting._  
_No, not Barak Obama, a much older person. Although he was coloured. No, he wasn't. But his skin was... He was..._

"I don't know him, but..."  
[That's fine, now I know what he looks like.]  
"A black human?"  
[It's not a human. And his skin isn't 'black' or 'brown' or anything like it. It's scaled. And very dark purple. And the face is white, that's why you thought you saw a skull.]  
"Then there's - horns?"  
[Not really, it's antennae.]  
{Kakodemon} a voice was heard from afar and Hekate was hushing.  
[And that voice?]  
"The one I heard?"  
[Let me hear it!]

_"You know you could never had saved him, Aidra..."_  
{The shithead!}  
[Shut UP, Aris!]  
{OK, spithead would be more applicable.}  
[Aristides!]  
"The bigot TV preacher," I heard myself say.

Angelo Manrico.

If only he knew what the world was like. Then they would have to put him in a strait jacket. Which was indeed long overdue.

"But why was he in my dream?"

[We don't know that now. But Aidra, What I really did need was the face of that daemon. Now we know where to start.]

"He shot himself?"  
[Yes, as Ares said, it was a suicide mission. Relax now, rest a bit. Sleep if you like...]

O0O0O

"What's a... That thing Aris mentioned earlier?"  
"A Kakodemon?" Aristides replied.  
"Is that the first thing you say when you return up? Poor thing, Aidra you do need vacation." Hekate said.  
"Who doesn't?" Aristides huffed.  
"So do we all," Athena replied. "But now is hardly the time."  
"What was it with the horns?" I asked as I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes with my knuckles. I felt so peculiar, like I was tired in my mind while I felt rather fit in my body.  
"As I said earlier," Hekate replied, "they're not horns. They're feeler antennae. Several antennae or tentacles mounted very close together on each side of the head, reminding of the antennae of the insects. Or the whiskers of some of the mammals. But I do admit they look quite a bit like horns when seen briefly and from afar. Which most people often do since they tend to run when a Kakodemon appears. Run and often become outrun and killed. But among those who have survived, almost everyone are talking about 'horns' so that legend has stuck."

"But what is a Kakodeamon really?" I asked as I regarded my hands. They were smudged black, I had smeared the make-up. Great! Yet I couldn't care less right now.  
"It's a kind of wet workers who Titans and others have been deployed over the millennia to get rid of their enemies," Hecate explained. "Assassins for hire. Very effective killers."  
"An artificial race," Aristides filled in. "The Kako's are a cross-breed between regular daemons and ogres. Titans've been using them a lot over the centuries. And we Olympians have been trying to extinguish them but failing, since they are like roaches, so die hard, and with the ability to almost crawl under a rock and hide. Hide for a long time."  
"Shit," I said. "Yet, Romulus killed that one."  
"No, not the one you saw. But the one who was sent out by the one you saw."

"Who was? A Kako as well?"  
"No, a lesser kind of daemon called Fylgja," Hekate told. "They're not that powerful, but they can take any form they want, and are mostly used as spies. That one should be used as assassin is extremely rare. I've never heard about it before at least. How about you, Athena?"  
"Me neither," the goddess shook her head. "But it hints at this enemy being a bit more creative than the regular Titan who often keep doing the same thing as they always have done. Perhaps it's another kind of being behind this would-be assassin. This set-up with the elves implicates as much."

"And what about Angelo Manrico?" I asked.  
"We'll have to find out what he has to do with this." Hekate replied.  
"If anything," Athena said.  
"What do you mean? Aidra heard him. And so did I."  
"It might be a projection," Athena replied.  
"But why should anyone...?" Hekate hesitated. "They didn't know about Aidra's dream after all."  
"Yes, but it might be one of Aidra's memory distortions," Athena guessed before turning to me. "Sorry, Aidra, that is not meant as criticism, it's merely the way our brains work. In dreams we fill in the blanks with things we know. That's why they become so hard to interpret."

"And I needed a bad guy and put in Angelo Fucking Manrico. How clever. Why couldn't I have gone for, like, Dart Vader? Or Hitler?"  
"Oh, that'd be absurd!" Aristides sniggered.  
"Yeah, like the rest of the dream wasn't?" I shot back.  
"Actually, back in the 1930:ies I used to have a lot of nightmares about that little Austrian punk," Athena said. "Before people learned what an asshole he really was. I kept nagging about it but no one believed it until he invaded Poland. Whatever, now I think we know what we came here to find out. Ares has sent for reinforcements by the way, after what happened yesterday. Polemos and his Nemain are on their way."  
"Who's Nemain?" I asked.  
"Irish war god. Married to Pol." Athena explained. "Haven't you met her, Aidra?"  
"I'm not sure. Perhaps at Olympia."  
"She's been on maternal leave for a while." Hekate explained. "Now Hailey are babysitting li'l Namios."  
"Zeus and Hera's youngest daughter?" I asked.  
"The very one," Hekate replied. "Taking after her mommie."

"I better go," Aristides said and stood up. "My shift is up within half an hour, and I need to grab something to eat before that. I'm going out with Bella and she's always so miffed when you're not on time."  
"Well she should be," Athena returned. "We need to respect each other's time."  
"It's not like we're mortals and run out of it," Aristides said.

Not listening to Athena and Aris, Hekate turned to me and offered:  
"Aidra, if you feel troubled about going to sleep tonight, I can ask one of the Oneroi to come and sit on you, to guard your dreams and not let any shit in."  
"Thanks but no thanks, I don't want anyone more poking around in my head."  
"Fine. It's all up to you, Aidra." Hekate replied.

O0O0O

It had stopped raining when I went on my shift together with Romulus, and the sun was setting over a wet capital city, painting every puddle and wet street in orange and gold, making the city look even more beautiful than usual.  
"This must be what it looked like in your old town," I turned to the god as we flew around the city on a first check.  
"Not exactly," the founder of Rome replied. "Back in the ancient era the buildings weren't white like this. That's just another of many misconceptions about the old days. We did build large buildings of marble, that's true. With rows and rows of pillars. People were crazy about pillars back then. Just as we are today when it comes to glass. But then they painted the marble in stark colours. Reds, blues, yellows, green, purple, pink, gold and silver. Think about how the Indian and Eastern Asian temples look, and then you sort of get the picture. It was nothing like this town. On the other hand I think I prefer what it looks like today. A bit more elegant and strict. Powerful without being intimidating."

We flew one counterclockwise circle and then a half around DC and then we turned and flew one clockwise and then we turned again, and made another counterclockwise one, just in case there were any enemies to fool. Then we flew across those circles and outside of them. Although we kept a lookout, we got the time to talk and we were discussing everything from President Obama to old Rome. When we finally sat down on the roof of the Capitol I had to ask about the wolf.  
"No, we didn't suckle a wolf, Remus and I," the god chuckled and gazed out over the city where night now had fallen and thousands of light were painting the monuments, turning them into fairytale castles. In a way it looked a bit like Olympia Lagunas but without the Asian details.  
"So what happened? From where came that story?"

"Our mother died in childbirth, but before that she handed me and my twin over to a priest she trusted, because she feared for our lives. And he in turn handed us over to an old lady he trusted. She lived by herself in a hut in the forest with a big she-wolf for pet. This old woman was believed to be a witch or a shaman, the latter meaning that she could assume the form of an animal, in this case the wolf. But she never could, she was just a nice old lady who knew some basic magic and about some herbs and drugs to heal with. And her she-wolf made it possible for her - and us as well - to be safe and left alone, because Shenna guarded us with her life. Only once did she stray, and that was when she encountered a real charming male of her specie. But she returned later - with a litter of puppies. And while Remus and I grew up we learned to hunt with one wolf each, while one little girl took over her mother's job later when Shenna left this world to go hunting with her ancestors."

"A beautiful story," I replied. "And you founded Rome. But what happened to you brother? Remus? They said you killed him?"  
"Well sort of. He was - when I inherited my father's immortality he didn't. And he never forgave me for that. When he grew older he wanted me to 'share' what I had. He wanted us to go to the temple of Mars. Well - Ares. And ask our father to grant Remus immortality. I went with him of course but dad never replied. Later I learned that he was busy way up north, roughly where Saint Petersburg is today. He had no chance to pay attention to some sons in Rome whom he believed was fine. Anyhow that silence of our father made Remus even more angered with me and he kept on letting me know that I had cheated him on his immortality. He kept saying that all the time and in the end I think he even started to believe in it himself. Meanwhile, he started gathering followers and one night he and some thugs of his attacked me and my family in my home. Then it was either my young wife and my children or my demented brother. Although I tried to just incapacitate Remus, I actually ended up killing him. I had hoped to restrain him and to send him away to some healer temple far away from what was to become Rome. But that was not to be. Oh, Aidra it was self-defense, although it took me centuries to get over it. Mostly I blamed myself for not being able to help my brother understand that immortality was just something which stroke blindly. And that it might be a curse as well, something I learned as I saw my wife and then my children grow older and die from me."

"Whew! That's some story, Rom." I dried a tear. "In fact I'm getting to hear so many stories from you people here that it could fill a library of novellas. And still each and every one is real. That makes it all so much more overwhelming."  
"That's what you get from immortality, Aidra. Experiences. Not all being pleasant. In fact I believe that most of them are more or less painful. Losses and mourns, disappointments. Still, we keep going. Doing our thing. Simply because we feel that we have to. And we try to be there for each other when time grow rough. Tell me, Aidra, what was it you dreamt tonight?"  
"About a Kakodeamon. Although I didn't know what it was at the time." And then I told Romulus about the dream and the hypnosis session with Hekate. The son of Ares nodded silently while staring down at a procession of police cars with strobing blue lights that came driving up Constitution Avenue.

"You know what," he said as the cars passed by, turned down Third Street and heading off in the direction of the library of Congress. "Those daemons, those other beings living on the brink of the reality we know. I think we better learn to not underestimate them. Yesterday the United States almost lost its president."  
"But you were there and..."  
"It doesn't matter. Some of our colleagues tend to misjudge these beings. I think that might be dangerous."  
"Ares told me once to never underestimate the enemy."  
"Yes, that's true. In spite we often do it."

"Then again, yesterday Ares thought that they weren't really after Obama, they appeared more interested in making it look like the Elves had done it."  
"Yes, that makes me wonder... If they can get into people's dreams like that..." then the god quieted down and I stared at him:  
"What do you mean, you think that Kako was in my dream?"  
"That's possible."  
"Hekate said it was all just my brain processing the event..."  
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Romulus said, but he didn't explain further. It was as if he felt the need to really develop his thoughts before going on with them.

O0O0O

Later in the night as I returned to the Hotel, I caught up with Saxa, Kyknos, Potestas and Aristides in the piano bar as well as the newcomers Polemos and Nemain. Nemain sure had that Irish look with flaming red hair and almost luminescently pale skin. Add to that gold-specked emerald eyes and sensuous lips and there was yet another overly beautiful immortal. However we had sat down in a darkened corner and were somewhat cloaked so there weren't that many looking in our direction. And if they did, they probably thought that we were just another bunch of spoiled, rich college kids drinking up the content on our parent's credit cards.

Aristides was telling Polemos and Nemain about yesterday's attack on President Obama and then he kept pressing me about my dream. For some reason it felt less comfortable talking about it now, after Romulus' comment. In the end I had to tell Aris firmly that I didn't want to discuss that darn dream anymore. Polemos didn't say much as usual, but Nemain wanted to know more about our thoughts regarding the attack.  
"Can a Kako really have been behind it? I mean..."  
"They're not that smart, you mean?" Kyknos said.  
"You can say that again," Nemain grinned and sipped on her Dry Martini.

"There's probably someone else behind even that Kako," Saxa guessed. "Someone a bit up on the food chain. It's that one we want, not just some coward contract killer who send others to do their job."  
"Or perhaps that layered scheme is just to confuse us?" Aristides guessed.  
"They're not that smart," Nemain insisted.  
"Perhaps they had help," Potestas suggested.  
"Perhaps it's not the Neotitans this time," said Aristides.  
"Romulus told me today that these beings might be more dangerous than we think." I told. "It sure is precarious to underestimate our enemies."  
"It's not that smart to overestimate them either," Kyknos said and waved over the waiter. Then he ordered another beer before continuing: "Because then you waste unnecessary energy."

At that time I thought of something else Romulus had said:  
"Can they get into people's dreams? Kakos and these things I mean?"  
"They can - with mortals, although they seldom bother," Saxa replied.  
"Oh, they do," Nemain said, "More than once I've encountered people who have been scared insane by these beings."  
"Yes but how many were they really, considering that there are seven billion living on Earth today. Not to mention all who _have_ lived."  
"Saxa, they..."  
"But how about us?" I insisted, cutting Nemain off. "Us as in Olympian immortals. Can they get into _our_ brains, screw up _our_ dreams? Scare _us_ crazy?"  
"I don't think so," Saxa responded.  
"If you know how to protect yourself, then they cannot." Aristides told.  
"How do you do that then?" I asked.

"You learn psychic self-defense," Kyknos answered.  
"How do I do that?" I asked again.  
"It's.."  
"Kick Nose, that's not something you teach people over a beer or two in a bar," Polemos cut him off.  
"But then there's always the Oneroi option." Saxa said.

O0O0O

"Hekate, does that offer of an Oneroi still stand?" I asked as I knocked on my friend's door. "Sorry to wake you up by the way?"  
"Oh, no problem, I wasn't sleeping, I was checking my mails. I'm quite the nocturnal creature, you know. You changed your mind?"  
"Yes, I felt like... well a bit more scared than I thought earlier in the day. When darkness falls and all that."  
"Oh, these things happen. I somehow foresaw it. So I've already been in touch with Morpheus. He can be here any minute if you like."  
"What does he do? Does he - go into my brain?"  
"Not really, Aidra. It's more like he's... watching over your general sleep, and if something disturbs it, he can take action and steer you away from it. I guess you'd better ask him yourself of how he does it."  
"I will... eh, please, ask him to come over," I pleaded and shuddered a bit in the hallway in spite of it being reasonable warm. It was I who was tired - and also a bit afraid, I admitted.  
I sure will," Hekate promised with a smile.

And with those words I left Hekate, feeling a bit less eerie. Al right, I had but met Morpheus briefly and I wasn't so sure about letting him in to my private mind, it was almost more intimate than sex. Then I decided to think of him as a doctor or a shrink of some kind. A professional, that was what he was after all. After that notion it felt quite a bit better. I was sure that with him around I wouldn't have to encounter daemons in another night's dreams.


	29. Nuclear Thunder

**Nuclear Thunder**

The next Titan wave came a few days later. Up until then the business had mostly been about trying to trace that Kakodaemon, which had been messing with my dreams. That is, Hekate, Aristides and Kephalos had done that and Romulus, Eleusis and Nisos had kept guarding the President in a rather business as usual way. The rest of us had been patrolling, checking the surroundings.

Then, early one morning or late in the night, depending on how you regard things, Bellona woke us all up with one short word: _'Time'_. Since we had previously agreed upon that call, we all knew what it meant. This was no drill; I could feel it in my spine already upon rising. So I didn't hesitate a second before dressing, gathering my gears and subsequently leaving the hotel room by the balcony. No time for 'regular exits' here, and whatever you may think about early morning wake up calls, they do have the advantage of letting you leave without being seen by a lot of people around outside. The ones actually up and about are also usually more or less drunk, and might blame strange sightings upon the booze. Or they were red-eye workers who were more or less sleepwalking.

While biting into a ration bar I flew across the sky and encountered Saxa, Kyknos, Potestas, Hekate, Polemos, Nemain and Androkles who were heading in the same direction. Later on came Romulus and Nisos. Kephalos and Eleusis were assigned to stay guarding the President and the Congress respectively. Meanwhile, just as so many times before, we flew out over the Atlantic to meet the enemies. But something was different this time - they were so many more. Kyknos was almost instantly calling for reinforcements, checking back with Persephone in Olympia who was on guard duty at the moment and monitoring the whole world by magic means. _See if there's some place __**not**__ being attacked, _he asked her. _And send more people here, the whole US east coast is under heavy battering._

Within moments we had taken up fighting the Titans like mad. Wizened by past events, I was being very careful with keeping track on my own reactions, my own influx of both regular adrenaline and hyperadrenaline, to make sure I would not berserk once again. I hoped to be bit more professionally this time. Now I was following right behind Saxa and then turning around so we came to fight more or less with our backs towards each other. That was a method we had trained plenty of times, and it felt familiar like a pair of worn old shoes. In spite it became harder than ever this time since the Titans were so plenty. No matter how hard we fought they kept on pushing us backwards, towards the American coastline, something we were with all means trying to avoid. We knew that if the enemies reached the coast they would start marauding. Then it would not only be a question of millions of dead, it would finally become nearly impossible to cover up what was really happening in the world. So with all our might we kept labouring to hinder them, hoping reinforcement was due soon.

Luckily enough the requested support arrived on time. It was some of Athena's people who were usually defending Eastern Asia and the Middle East, but since that area was not being hit, Persephone had directed them to give us a hand. Thus the Titans became attacked from behind by Aventinius, Medon, Electra, Prospero, Britomartis and Cloë, carrying two huge rocket cannons which looked lethal in a futuristic way. Like something out of Star Wars. This meant that the Tits had to fight on two fronts, some of them turning around to face the new threat. That created confusion in their lines and we could press them back out over the ocean once again, forcing them to let go of some of the air they had gained. While the Titans retreated, I took out my guns again and sprayed bullets into them, noticing with half of my mind that Polemos was right on top of me, doing the same plus screaming out loud while he was peppering the enemies.

"Saxa, is Pol berserking?" I asked a bit worried.  
"No, don't worry, Aidra. He always yells like that. He and Nemain, two of a shouting kind."  
"Where's she?" I asked.  
"Somewhere ahead of us, in the middle of the mayhem. Now, leave it, keep going, Aidra. No one's gonna berserk today."  
"I hope so," I mumbled under my breath, it still scared me that it was possible to lose control that way during a battle. I glanced slightly upward, no, Polemos seemed to be in control, he was fighting the oncoming Titans now with a large machete and an enormous and insane-looking curved blade of a kind I only thought existed in computer games. Next to him was Potestas swinging a large axe, looking almost as war-crazed.

Anyhow, my swords might be ordinary-looking, compared to theirs, but they were effective, and I was stopping several Titans, including one beast coming at me with a large hammer. I had always been the utilitarian, I guess that came with the police thing. I didn't dress up like some fetish dominatrix like Saxa or used wicket-looking arms like Polemos, Androkles and a few others. Instead I was content with stuff that worked and which I could do my thing with. Nonetheless, that would perhaps change if I was to do this for some centuries more. Perhaps I too would want to put stickers with grinning smileys upon my guns or wear helmets which made me looking like a Hoplite from Hell, like Romulus - who was now impossible to recognize for Special Agent Romeo Luz.

But the Titans kept on coming. And coming and coming. Soon the push became too much again, even for our reinforced band of defenders.  
"Regroup," Kyknos was calling. "All over here! We have to preserve the mainland."  
"They are too many," Bellona was heard from somewhere. "We cannot hold anymore. We're gonna need bigger guns."

"What do we have?" Kyknos said as a bright flare exploded in the middle of the Titan aggressors, sending enemies and parts of enemies flying in all directions.  
"More of these, I hope?" Androkles could be heard and as if on a cue another flare like that flashed off, a bit to my left this time.  
"We're coming, Kick Nose," Britomartis was calling. "But it's not a fast advance. Too many freaks in the way."

"More Tits arriving," I heard Cloë yell at the same time. As I pulled my sword out of a Titan belly, more blood showering all over me, I heard Saxa above me call out in despair. She had lost her last blade and was curled up in foetal position, her shielding flashing and wavering dangerously as at least three Titans were assaulting her with Adamantine weapon. With a profanity I threw myself at the nearest Titan, relieving her of her head. When the next brute turned against me instead of Saxa, definitely of male gender this one, I kicked him with my steel clad shoe right between his legs, enjoying his outcry of pain as if it was the sweetest music. Meanwhile I used the speed of my kick to somersault beneath the beast.  
"Saxa, catch!" I called out as I threw her one of my blades.

Gratefully my friend picked it out of the air and started to pay back for the harm inflicted upon her by killing the last of her tormentors. Meanwhile the one I had kicked came at me and I avoided his Adamantine axe and cut off the arm holding it instead. Then I grabbed the axe for myself and used it to finish off the Titan. Now, this sure was a hard to handle tool, since it was built for a Titan. My left hand was quite too small, especially with my heavy glove upon, and it didn't help changing hands either. So I had to sheet my remaining blade and use both my hand to swing this impossible tool. And in the end it pissed me off so much that I had to let it go and returned to my regular sword.

As I dropped my axe I suddenly heard someone calling out:  
"It's here! Reinforcement. And the big guns!"

It was Nisos and as I looked in the direction where the son of Ares was pointing I spied four small specks. Now what? Could that little group save us from the waves and waves of Titans, which were pressing us backwards rapidly now as we did our best to just preserve ourselves? We were now collected into a tight ball of defenders, back against back and with despair in our eyes. But upon deploying enhanced far vision I recognized the group coming towards us. Nike, Kotos, Alexander - and Zeus! It was the latter who flew up front in the arrow formation, and when they were closing in on the rear end of the Titan army, they slowed down almost to a halt - and the next second the very sky above and around us exploded, the most magnificent and terrifying powers flying off in every directions. Powers which would turn an atomic bomb to shame.

"Everybody Shield!" Kyknos was yelling both aloud and on a telepathic level at the same time. "Deploy a collective aegis!" At the same time I observed how a strange bluish white orboid begun to expand right in the middle of the Titan army. First slowly and then faster and faster. Around it swirled strobing electric lightning in a lethal firework of killer electricity as the orboid kept expanding, swallowing everything around it. Those Titans who had the chance turned around and fled. Some came our way and we attacked the same way as usual to prevent them from getting towards the American coastlands. But most of the now terrified Titans were just flying in every direction that meant _away_ from the expanding orboid. However very few made it, the expanding nightmare was simply too powerful and too fast. There weren't even that many fleeing Titans who we got to kill.

Then suddenly, the orboid exploded in a flash of light that burned even our divine retinas. By reflex I closed my eyes and bent my arms over the head to protect it further, feeling the aegis affect my torus glands at the back of my brain as it took so much beating that I was uncertain it was going to handle it. The next thing was the sound wave assaulting our eardrums and the heat wave felt even through the aegis, the shielding a tormenting restraint over my torso and head, as if a mother of a migraine was building up. Sweat broke out on my forehead and I could feel tears wetting my cheek. And as I tilted my head backwards I heard myself screaming out the pain, tears flooding my closed eyes.

And then... there was silence.

I dared opening my eyes and looked around. Of the Titans remained nothing but some fleeing specks by the horizon as well as burned bodies bobbing among the waves down below. And there were us inside of our collective Aegis which had probably saved our lives. While the loudly ringing noise in my ears died down I turned around, faced the others:  
"What the Eff-you-cee-kay was that?"  
"Didn't you see him, Aidra?" Hekate replied as she was massaging her temples. "It was Zeus!"  
"Yes, but... What did he _do_?" I looked around and went on: "And where is he now? Did he..."  
"That was a nuke. So many megaton it makes Hiroshima look like a firecracker." Polemos replied. "And some magic added for good measure."  
"And Zeus and the others have moved on," Kyknos said. "Up North to take out more of the beasts."

"A nuclear bomb! Holy shit!" Saxa said as she tried to stop her nosebleed with shaking hands. "I've never seen one before."  
"Neither have I," Nisos chimed in.  
"I thought there was going to be a mushroom cloud," Aristides said while gazing out over the now empty sky.  
"There isn't always one," Polemos replied. "It depends on the weather conditions. And I guess Zeus made a twister or something, taking it with him. I _think_ I saw a twister at least before I became blinded."  
"Our eyes... are they going to..." I began, as tears kept on flooding out of my eyes, and green blotches kept on dancing in front of me."  
"They will," Hekate reassured me. "Before tonight we'll all be fine again."

"There's no fallout," Nisos noted while holding up a spread hand in the air, measuring the background radiation. "Just the regular radioactivity."  
"I guess Zeus' magic took care of that," Hekate said. "Deployed the right way you don't need that much magic to remove excessive radiation."  
"So nobody's gonna turn Hulk tonight," Polemos joked.  
"Yeah, too bad man!" Kyknos shot back. "I'd love you see you green."

"So now what?" Potestas asked. "I can't sense a Titan within miles and miles."  
"No one slipped behind us?" Nemain asked.  
"Negative," Bellona replied and Hekate and Romulus were also confirming that.  
"Now we better clean up the mess here and then go home and start thinking of a way to explain the 'strange light phenomena' out over the Atlantic." Kyknos ordered. "I can imagine that quite a few people did see the lights and it must have registered on instrumentations as well."  
"Let's make it the usual," Polemos grinned. "Secret military experiment."  
"You know that very excuse is getting harder and harder to use these days." Romulus replied. "I almost miss the old Cold War days. When there was a big bad USSR there were always reasons for secret military experimentations of the strangest kinds."

"How about them big bad Talibans then?" Nemain asked with a deep, mock-evil voice. "Ain't them reason enough for some experimentations."  
"Nah, not really," Romulus scoffed. "Just reason for sending young punks to the Middle East to stir up the sand over there."

The dead Titans down in the water had attracted the usual armada of sharks which were finishing their bodies off in their habitual voracious way, eliminating every trace of what had been taken place here. But Prospero and Bellona flew down to make sure nothing remained, setting some non-organic stuff on fire. Finally we said thanks and good bye to Athena's sestetto and returned to Washington and waiting showers, baths and new clothes. And most of all food. After a battle like this you were always starving.

0O0O0

Seven hours later we had returned to Manhattan and were crowding in Ares' large living room. It was even more of us gathered now than that day before we set of for our Big Event in the Titan underground cities. On every spot available people were either sitting or standing. Still Saxa and I managed to find a tiny hole in a sofa between Kratos and Palioxis after Saxa having ordered Kratos:  
"Move your big fat French ass so some ladies can have a seat, will ya!"  
"For you mademoiselle, bien sur!" The big man grinned, removed a pillow on his other side and cramped even harder against the armrest of the sofa and Proioxis and Palioxis were moving in the other direction. In the other corner Ishiro lifted Keiko up in his lap.

In front of us Zephyros, Palamaon, Electra, Prospero and Cloë from Athena's group lined up, not seeming to mind that they had to sit on the floor. After all Prospero sounded rather authoritarian when he in turn told Nerio and Lysandros to 'sit the heck down!'. Behind us someone was dropping something big on the floor and Narion was heard calling that someone an idiot.

"Kratos, you're French?" I asked surprised.  
"Well, technically not, since France didn't exist back then, but I was born near where today's Saint Tropez is. These years it was called Mezoina, and it was a kind of free trade zone with people from all over the known world coming in. My father Panetzas spent his time working for Danerio, the god who was defending the region at that time. Back then there was just me, Zelos and Bia, Nike was born much later, when we had moved to Crete to get away from the Titan aggressors. Seems like all I've ever done in my entire life is fighting those mongrels."  
"There's got to be an end to this someday," I commented.  
"Don't hope too much, Aidra," Kratos sounded quite disencouraging. "After all it's been four thousand years since this war started."  
"But what about those centuries after Zeus's defeat of Kronos?"  
"Was just a seize fire for biological reasons," Palioxis said. "The enemy was resting within the mortal DNA."  
"Waiting to mutate," Keiko added.  
"Yeah I know." I replied. "Still I hope that one day this'll be over..."

Now everyone quieted down almost immediately as Zeus, Nike and Athena entered the room and took their places against the window, where Ares and Alexander were already waiting. Zeus started his speech in an instance. (That man never talks, he always holds speeches, it seems.)

"Foremost, thanks to all of you," Zeus began. "You were magnificent out there whatever you were doing, being it front line defense or keeping up the appearance of calm and order down in the mortal settlements. Whatever, I do apologize for not letting you know the magnitude of the attack sooner. But there simply was no time. Our Watchers didn't see what was coming before the assault was already developing. No one could've foreseen there would be so many enemies being released in one single launch. No time to warn any of you, we had to deploy the most lethal weapons we have. Which meant I had to step in myself. I have for such a long time been trying to avoid using these magically induced sub-nuclear blasts, after all they are deadly, not only for the enemies but for usselves as well. Not to mention the mortals. Now Kotos came with me to clean up the fallout and Nike and Alex did their best to save the lives of mortals who got in their way. Still there was no way to avoid causalities. A crashed Aeroflot plane being among the worst disasters."

"Sorry," Alexander was mumbling next to Zeus, but his father just patted him on his shoulder and consoled him:  
"You was busy with that cruise ship, there was nothing you could've done." Then the king of the gods straightened up once more and went on:  
"Eighteen cities came under attack and were defended and saved as well. Saint Petersburg, Berlin, Moscow, London, Rome, Dubai City, Shanghai, Calcutta, Bangkok, Tokyo, Sydney, Rio, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Washington DC, New York, Cape Town and Alexandria. All more or less equally distributed around the globe and all very populated and high-profiled. That made it easy to guess some of the destinations and take out the aggressors early, although it was harder in other places. Poseidon had to flood the Sidney harbour to stop the Water elementals which was attacking the Australian city and the air elementals were only seconds from destroying the Burj Kalifa in Dubai. Only the combined effort of Athena, Kiaran and Achilles was able to stop it."

Kiaran made a thumbs-up and grinned, although he looked kind of haggard. Next to him sat Xantos who kept pulling his right hand across his now bald scull, the firestorm after Zeus' nuke had burned off his magnificent Mohawk when he had been defending Los Angeles together with Penthesileia, Kydoimos, Diamanda, Paradox and some other people.  
"How's Hercules?" Thalassa asked.  
"He's at Olympia resting now," Zeus informed. "He'll be fine."

After that Zeus went on and told about some more causalities. Save for quite a few shaken deities no one had been badly harmed. Hercules had suffered from an aegis implosion and had got several internal organs injured. But he had been brought to Asklepios in Olympia and was healing at the moment and Azazael had got his face burnt off and didn't want to show himself until he was completely healed. Otherwise the rest of us were mostly fine, although tired and worn. A few questions of minor consequence were shoot at Zeus and he answered them all before pouring water in a glass and drinking it all up. Now his whole body language signaled that he had something more to tell us. Something important. Since all of us begun to feel that a silence of expectation engulfed the room.

"Thing is," said Zeus then and put down the glass, "there might be a way to finally end this. I have some intelligence to share with you all."

After those words not even his charisma could stop the room from explode in a cacophony of voices and questions.  
"I told you so," I couldn't help grin at Kratos, to which he replied:  
"How many things don't you think we've heard this before. The Perestroika in Russia was the last time I guess. Then came 9/11 and..."  
"So Bigboss's gonna nuke the Titan underground cities after all?" Cloë was saying and Zephyros was snorting something sounding like 'no creo' ('don't think so' in Spanish).

"Okay, folks! Shut up now or you won't learn anything new!" Ares called out and then he turned to Zeus who was just smiling. When the noise died down once more the King began telling what they had learned after the battle.  
"There is this troika ruling on the other side - Hekla, Torianus and Tancredius. Titans, which some of you are familiar with already. These beings are the ones who have been in charge over the Titans for more than 1500 years now, and they are the ones who so badly can't wait to rid the Earth of the Human race. Including its gods. We've been talking earlier about taking them out, but they are too heavily defended. They are residing in what is mainly known as the Atlas Orb. Problem is that this Atlas Orb is not located in any of the dimensions we are familiar with, and so far we have been unable to find it. But recently we have learned that the Atlas Orb is in fact a dimension of its own. The entrance points to the Atlas Orbs are only possible to penetrate by the Troika themselves and a small group of selected persons around them."

"So even if we should find those entrance points we cannot get in?" Kratos asked next to me as he was making a morose face.  
"I'll get to that, Kratos," Zeus replied as he glanced over in our direction. "But first thing first - we will use a special method which Hades has developed to locate the Atlas Orb. It's a new kind of multi-dimensional trace magic which is done on sub-quark level, real hi-mag science. Dangerous if deployed the wrong way since on these levels, watching means manipulating as well."  
"So we're just gonna blow the Orb up?" Anaxymenos could be heard from the other corner of the room, where he was sitting on the railing to the stairs leading up here.  
"No, that would be too dangerous," Zeus replied. "No one has ever destroyed a dimension like that before. We don't know what may happen, it could trigger a chain reaction of unbelievable magnitudes, and we could risk damaging the whole multi-universe permanently."

"Oh, come on!" Anaxymenos protested.  
"It's true!" Taranor, sitting next to him, said and Anaxymenos huffed in return.  
"Can't we get them when they go out?" Proioxis asked.  
"They never do go out," Zeus replied. "None of the troika members have left the Orb in centuries. All communications is performed using magic means."  
"So then what's the deal?" Bia asked from the other corner of the room.

"We'll use Hades' formulas to locate the Atlas Orb," Zeus repeated. "Then a small number will break into the Orb and finish the Troika."  
"Sounds too easy," Ishiro mumbled next to me, but Zeus heard him.  
"That's the short version of the plan. As I said, it's still in its state of development. We cannot really acquire anything until we have located the Orb. Which Hades estimated might take a year. That will give us time to develop the plan thoroughly. And yes I know, a lot of things might happen in a year. But hopefully the Titans are so shocked by the set-back to their big plan that licking their wounds will keep them occupied for a while. Meanwhile, most of you have things to do when it comes to cover up this event in the eyes of the world. So I'll leave you to that for the coming days and to resting and getting back in shape again. And don't worry, we'll let you know when it's due to attacking Atlas Orb and who will be doing it."

Then someone stepped up to Zeus and said something silently to him. Someone I hadn't seen since my last visit to Olympia - Artemis. Zeus looked at his daughter and nodded. Then he turned again to the audience.  
"Some preparations of importance are already on their way, once again the world will not get to know what has hit it, but blame will be laid upon several things including a major earthquake outside the Philippines, causing tsunamis in Australia and another US military experiment. Now, if there are more questions, I'll take them..."

0O0O0

When Zeus left us, several hours of talking and a magnificent dinner later, so did those who had come in from Athena's and Hercules' groups. The west coast guardians and a few others were also returning to their duties, leaving once again just about the core troop which was usually defending New York. And Apollo. He had arrived while Zeus had been talking, sneaking inside in silence and I hadn't noticed him until he came up to me later and surprised me with covering my eyes with his hands. That brought out the giggle in me and we had mock wrestled a while in that sofa which had been vacated by all the rest. Soon Apollo had had me on my back and kissed me on my throat, tickling me and making me laugh out loud. He was laughing too, going:  
"My Fifth Avenue treasure, what happened to your hair?"  
"Oh, it got a bit burned when your old man nuked the Tits."  
"You must grow it back, promise me!" he said and kissed the tip of my nose.  
"I will, cross my heart! The punk rock look has never been my thing."

As Ares passed us by he was glaring at us but said nothing. Once again I wondered what was the matter, why two people couldn't have some fun.  
"So what are you doing here?" I asked.  
"I was drafted. Although I won't be staying here but in Rhode Island. But when the going gets tough again, I'll come down here in a whiff. You want to come up and stay with me?"  
"Sure," I replied. "With the Titans having their asses nuked off, I don't think there's that much to do for a while now."  
"So we can spend time walking the New England beaches together you and I, anticipating the real summer?"  
"Of course! Although I'm warning you, I won't be content with walking beaches, dear sun god!"  
"I was hoping you'd say something like that," Apollo smirked and kissed me again.

0O0O0

Thus begun some wonderful months. Zeus had been right, the Titans were so badly beaten that they had stopped their aggression almost entirely. I moved into Apollo's place and spent very little time back in Manhattan. Instead we did a lot of walking and talking and love-making my beloved and I. Everything felt so fine, like there were no Titans or other threats in the world, save for the small things like the burglar we caught in the act one night or the drowning child Apollo saved one day in early June.

I had never been to New England before, only seen it in some feel-good movies of the kind that was popular when I was in my early teens. However now I got to experience it for real. Those parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island which looked like a cut out from a fairytale with rows and rows of white or pastel coloured and neat little houses. There were lighthouses, fish restaurants, bath piers and long coastlines where the sea seemed to dance in over the long sandy beaches. There were all those tiny shops with the loveliest things! Apollo had rented a house not far from where Jacqueline Kennedy used to spend her summers once upon a time. A pretty house, well-kept and cozy if not that large and with a beautiful rose garden outside and a wonderful view over the sea. A house where you woke up with the rising sun in the morning and went to bed with the gulls calling in your ears.

Apollo told me that he had been suffering from writer's block for a while, but when he arrived here and I came to stay with him, it had all loosened up. So I ended up sitting next to him by the fireplace in the living room in the evenings and listen to what he composed and sang, and I got the chance to offer ideas and improvements as well. Apollo used to play the guitar and sometimes the piano and he usually sang some and then he asked me for my opinion. Soon I learned that Apollo didn't appreciate unnecessary praises, he preferred if I told what could be better. In that manner I worked with him on his songs, it was quite a different experience compared to these months and months of battling. It felt refreshing and invigorating, and it made me wonder why I had spent so much of my life in the line of fire. Creating was after all so much more positive than destroying. Sometimes, if it became late or if I was unusually tired, those songs of Apollo became lullabies and I fell asleep under a knitted blanket in the sofa. Then my darling had to carry me to bed. But usually I was the night owl who stayed up reading when he had fallen asleep.

The summer came in mid-May and with that it became possible to swim in the ocean without freezing or shielding and we began to spend long days at the beach with picnics, books and Apollo's guitar. And lovemaking. We had found our own more or less private sandpit which we ended up hiding magically so we could have it in peace. There we idled in the sun as if there was no cares in the world. Now I started to get another perspective on everything. Life slowed down and became possible to grasp and start processing. Catching up on my mind, I began to wonder what to do with all those years which lied ahead of me. Endless years. Millennia. How to use them, how to fill them with meaning. One thing did I know, I sure didn't want to spend all of them fighting. Apollo had been right about that. I wanted to be more than a police or a warrior. I wanted to be a creator as well. And I wanted to be with Apollo. Perhaps I could become a kind of muse after all...

Nonetheless, I didn't say anything about those plans to Apollo. It still felt too early, and I was not willing to give him another promise I could not keep.

0O0O0

It didn't take a year for Zeus, Hades and the others to trace down the Atlas Orb. In the late fall, several of us were called to the Olympia Lagunas. The reason - Zeus was putting together a group for infiltrating the Orb and to finish off the infamous troika. If the mission became successful, the Titans would be leaderless. Then the idea was to steer them into another direction than the desire to take over the world. Apparently such a design would take years to stage, but the alternative would be annihilating the Titan race completely, and that was not only cruel and barbaric but more or less impossible since enough Titan DNA was hidden within the gene-pool of humanity. Besides, that had already been tried once, after the defeat of Kronos, and as Ares used to say, there was no reason to make the same mistake twice.

"So you might all wonder why you are here, what your part in this game is going to be," Zeus said, as he faced the gods who were sitting around a large conference table in the home of Zeus and Hera. I looked around at my presumed teammates. There were Ares, Apollo, Hades, Penthesileia, Xantos, Enyo, Phobos, Deimos, Polemos, Paradox, Hercules, Athena, Achilles, Alexander, Nike, Castor, Pollux, Kyknos, Taranor, Artemis, Persephone, Bellona, Thalassa, Kratos and Asklepios. And I wondered why I was here while not Saxa, Aristides, Hekate, Enyalios, the twins or Ishiro and his family.

"For most of you it might be obvious, you have been selected because you are seasoned warriors." Zeus went on. "Others are here for different reasons. Hades is the guide for those going all the way to the Orb, Persephone will be your connection back to the head quarter, Thalassa and Asklepios will be the distance healers in case anything should happen to anyone in there. Young Aidra is here because she's the only one who can break into the Orb."  
"Why me?" I asked as I felt 28 pair of eyes upon me. "Why am I the only one who can do that?"  
"Technically anyone who knows the right formula can do it," Hades now said. "But the Titans know us all. They have our DNA signatures stored. And they have used that knowledge to hinder us from cracking the orb using magic. Just as you can block an unwanted visitor to post at your Facebook account. I've been scanning the Orb, and all of us Olympian warriors are blocked. All save for Aidra who was not around when they did their last upgrade of their locks back in the 1950ies."


	30. Amazing Voyage

**Amazing Voyage**

"Say that again, I'm your key in?" I asked, turned to Hades who was sitting on the other side of the conference table. The dark-skinned god with corn rows in an asymmetric hairdo looked back at me and smiled lightly. "Yes, Aidra, you're the one. You must be the one to do it."

Sighing heavily, I was looking down at my hands resting on the shiny mahogany of the large table, feeling something inside of me gripping at my belly. That something was fear. Something I hadn't really felt in a long time, I realized now. At that very moment I wanted to rise from my place and run away and not stop running until I was home - back home in Manhattan and down in my bed with my bedcovers drawn over my head and eyes closed against the world. I didn't want to do this. It was one thing going down underground and battling Titans in their cities there, which was after all still Planet Earth. But going to other dimensions where you never knew if you could find your way out again, that was something I really didn't want to do. In an instant I regretted all this craziness. Why had I shot that darn New York drug dealer to begin with? It was just a bit more than year ago now. If only I had... like... not gone to work that day... I would still be a cop. In Manhattan. Then Ares would just be my boss. Mark Harris. Looking older with all that white in his hair and the slightly wrinkled and weathered face. And I wouldn't know anything of this insanity with the new Titan war at all. Not be doing this...

"Hades, for faith's sake, this isn't The Matrix," Apollo was saying next to me while laying his arm protectively around my shoulders.  
"No, you're right," Hades replied. "This is worse!"  
"Can't some else? Someone of the gods of the Allied Pantheons? Who have been around longer..." I suggested, still not looking up. Not daring to face Hades, Zeus or any of the others.  
"Most of them are blocked too, Aidra," Hades said.  
"But since the fifties? Aren't there gods older than I who can...?"  
"No warriors," Athena could be heard. "There are Inla who's a healer, Hailey and Ilezzar who are weather gods, Lelikin who is studying to become a muse and Orthes who's a protector of naval farming. But no warrior. Aidra, you're the best there is."

"If we can't find Gilgamesh," Apollo suggested.  
"Don't you think we have tried, Pol?" Persephone said. "Both him and Morrigan. But they are presumed dead now. And Susanoo is still not sane enough. We can't spend more time on these tries."  
"And all the Middle Eastern oldies are gone as well?" My beloved kept trying.  
"Gone or in deep hiding," Persephone shook her head again. "Besides, they would probably be blocked as well."  
"But I won't have Aidra going in there," Apollo insisted. "Was that why I was asked to come by the way? To keep an eye on her? Because I'm not exactly your number one choice of warrior these days."  
"We'll all be keeping an eye on Aidra," Castor stated. "She's our best asset now."

"Sorry, but I don't want to be anyone's asset," I cut in. "To be honest with you all, I've been fighting for so long now and it has been breaking me down. I've come to realize that now. It has cost me too much. I cannot go in there."  
"Aidra, please, think about what the alternative will be," Ares pleaded with me. "We will be fighting these Titans for centuries and centuries again. Always this stalemate. Always this us against them and the mortals in the middle. Now we have the chance to finish this once and for all. Think about it, Aidra! You, who always said you wanted to serve and protect. Now here's your chance."  
"Ares I..."  
"Aidra, we will take you in. As your bodyguards," Athena promised. "You'll use Hades' formula and open that dimension portal so the assassins can get in and after that we get you out."

"But - hey!" Phobos said. "Are you going to leave us guys in there? To get out by ourselves?"  
"No, of course not," Athena replied. "You just have to come back the next second."  
"So it will take no time then?" Phobos sounded almost scornful.  
"Exactly, since you are to return to the same spot as you left, not only in space but in time as well," Hades explained. "If done right, this little mission of ours will take no time for those on the outside, since you will return to the current space-plane almost at the same time as you've left."  
"Huh?" Polemos scratched the back of his head.  
"I'll show you," Athena said, stood and went over to the whiteboard where she started to draw and explain the secrets of time-space flows. It took her quite some time to answer all the questions launched at her in spite of being overly pedagogic.

0O0O0O

"Okay, I'll go," I said and buried my head in my hands, rubbing the knuckles over tired eyes. "I guess you'd convinced me to anyway. But can I please write my will before I go in there."  
"Aidra, no one's going to die!" Ares replied.  
"How can you be so sure?" I asked but the war god didn't reply. Instead he looked so very much like he was trying to hide some feelings from me. I swallowed and leaned back against Apollo's firm torso while he put his protective arms around me and mumbled in my hair:  
"Nothing's going to happen to you, Aidra, nothing!"  
"Thanks," I whispered.  
"We're Olympians," he added. "We stand by each other! An Olympian never leaves another Olympian behind."

0O0O0O

Five days later were we ready to go down. We had gone over the plan thoroughly several times. Forwards and backwards. Discussing and simulating it until I felt like I was dreaming it. In theory this wasn't exactly a complicated procedure. It sounded more like a synopsis to a B-movie to be true. Enter the sub-dimensions, travel to the infamous Atlas Orb, crack it magically (that was my part) and then let in Castor, Phobos and Bellona, who were the assigned assassins and Achilles, Penthesileia and Xantos as their back-up together with Nike, Polemos, Kratos, Ares and Hercules to cover them all with what fire was needed. Then there was Enyo, Pollux and Deimos to make sure the retreat way was not cut off. Meanwhile Athena, Alexander, Kyknos, Apollo and I remained outside to make sure nothing happened and to act as bodyguards for Hades who was not firsthand a warrior, even if he could handle a blade. But he was our guide, with Paradox as a back-up should anything happen to him. Ares was our leader and ready to step in and do whatever needed. Back in the 'base' we had Persephone to check on us and Artemis and Taranor to bring us out magically, should anything go wrong. Thalassa and Asklepios were assigned as stand-by healers.

With no further ceremonies other than Zeus, Hera and a handful others wishing us good luck, we began. Our entry point was the first floor lounge in Zeus and Hera's place, usually just a room where people gathered to sit down and talk and drink some champagne or soda during idle days. Now a few of the sofas and side tables had been moved aside to let Hades roll out a plastic rug with a large circle and some strange characters and objects printed upon. This was the starting point for the seven dimensional trajectory which was to lead us in and eventually down to the Orb.  
"It's just math," Athena said when Kyknos commented on the signs surrounded the circle. "Equations. You learned them in school."  
"I slept through most of it," her nephew admitted with a skewed smile.  
"Good for you that you can handle a sword then," she replied.

Soon enough Hades directed us all into the circle and he and Athena opened the ultra-dimensional portal by using the equations. I guess I had expected something like in Stargate or similar sci fi tales, some pulsating field and static flashes surrounding it. But it was hardly anything more impressive than the gate we used to skip to and from the Aether with. What we saw on the other side of the circular opening appeared to be some kind of gray dessert beneath an equally gray heaven and some high, pillar-like formations rising in the air. Creeping mists were floating across it all and in some places there seemed to be water or something similarly liquid and reflective.

"Welcome to the Taranev," Hades said and bowed slightly, holding out his hand.  
"Taranev?" someone was asking behind me while we all more or less hesitant began to step into the opening and leave the regular world behind.  
"The first sub-dimension," Hades answered. "Or really, it's a connection between several sub-universes of which ours is one. Like a hallway or a corridor connecting separate apartments or rooms."  
"Why Taranev?" Enyo asked as she checked her arms one last time before breathing in and stepping through the portal.  
"It's Melothan," Hades said. "It's a dead language spoken on old Atlantis. Taranev means connection."

I was next. And just like Enyo I inhaled deeply before taking the step across the circular opening. For a short second I sensed some kind of vertigo, like free fall, but it disappeared before I could figure out if it had really been there or if it was just a fidget of my imagination. Or butterflies in the stomach, I had no clue. After me came Apollo and he and I hugged as soon as we were together again. But I was quick to let go, curiosity was taking over, I sure wanted to check this place out, since it appeared to be rather harmless.

Turning around, I looked back through the hole, it looked just like another doorway, and on the other side were Bellona, Alexander and Hades who still hadn't crossed together with Persephone and her apprentice Coti, Zeus, Hera and a few other curious faces. After that I returned my attention to Taranev. The ground, which had looked like sand from the other side had a more ash-like quality and my feet had sunken down to the malleoluses in it. What I had thought to be a sky was actually just a continuation of this ash-like matter, as if we were inside of a gigantic orb. Those pillar things were crossing from one side to the other as if they were spikes of some kind. Then there were mists, which seemed to be receding whenever you got near them and puddles of water which also appeared to be some kind of hot surface mirage. And what more – the place lacked smell. Completely!

I was not the only first timer in this place, far from it. Most of us were seen exploring around, checking things out, discussing things. Like the almost total absence of any colour and where the heck the light came from.  
"I can't see a single light source, neither can I spot any shadows, still it's not dark," Castor was saying, holding out his hand and trying to figure the origin of the light which fell upon it. Turning it and trying to catch a reflection in his ring.  
"You're right, it's like the light is ambient, coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time," Bellona replied.  
"And still it isn't blinding." Penthesileia commented. "Which it should be if it shone from everywhere."  
"Then how come...?" Bellona begun.

"Remember that normal laws don't apply in this place," Paradox said. "Or I guess I should rather call it 'Earth laws'. Or 'Cosmos laws'. This is after all not the universe we know. The natural laws don't work like we're used to here."

"But how come we can exist here at all?" Castor said. "How come we can breathe this air, how come we don't fall apart into atoms."  
"In Taranev you're not really breathing," Hades said. "It's a 'between world'. You're like temporary suspended here. Time does not move, so your body reacts like it's frozen. If you check you find that your heart is not beating. That was why some of the first people who went here mistook this place for death. But it's not. It's more like a place of the living dead. If you should end up being stuck here you'd be here forever. Since you don't die here. Since you don't live."  
"Creepy!" Enyo exclaimed.

"How come then that this place isn't crowded with poor souls?" Alexander asked. "Because at least some people must've been stuck here, right."  
"Right, Hades replied. But they are stuck in the time when they arrived while we are here in this time. Much 'later'. Or really not 'later'. Since it's all the same time. And yet not."  
"I'm not sure I follow," Bellona bit her lip.  
"Oh, don't worry," Hades grinned at her. "Very few people do. And it's not really necessary, since all you have to do is follow me and it'll be fine. Now let's continue."

"Is this place inside of an orb?" Castor asked.  
"Yes it is." Hades replied. "And yet not." To that both Castor and Bellona groaned, the latter hiding her face in her hands.  
"Gimme 'Nam any day over this!" she sighed. Hades just smirked before he led the way over to a cluster of those pillar things. I turned around, finding that the circular opening to our home world wasn't there anymore and it felt sort of uncomfortable. Now I knew it was no turning back, at least not until we h done what we came here for. It felt even more frightening than my first battle had. That very first mission, when we had travelled to that Neotitan settlement in Connecticut. Less than a year ago was it! Still, when I looked around, I saw all those Olympians, those friends of mine. Great warriors, trustable people, strong in both bodies, minds and souls. Unafraid and brave, and still aware of the risks.

Hades took out a stick and drew a circle in the 'ash' and once more he urged us all inside of it.  
"Now this will be the entry point to Solawe, it's the first of the three dimensions we have to travel to reach the Atlas Orb."  
"Why don't we go there immediately from here?" Bellona wanted to know.  
"Castor asked a very valid question earlier," Hades nodded to the son of Zeus. "About breathing and surviving. And we can't go directly to the orb because it's not connected to this between world but to another similar. Yes there's more than one of these places. The multiverse is full of them. To get to the other one, which connects to the Orb we have to travel through a few other dimensions. Now, do remember what you see, gals and pals, because you'll be travelling through places beyond your imagination. For those who regard yourself as artists in one way or another, take this chance to gather inspiration."  
"Yeah, I might write a song about this place," Apollo said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice and then he squeezed my hand a bit. I looked at him and smiled.

"You done with the calculations yet?" Hades turned to Athena  
"Long time ago," she replied and grinned. "What do you take me for, pal? Those equations were kiddies stuff."  
"Wait until we get farther," Hades replied.  
"Duh, we did go over this back home remember! Did I make any miscalculation then?"  
"Go ahead, read them out so I can open the gate!"  
"Sure thing!" Athena replied and then she began reciting some strange sentences again. I stopped listen and instead I was focusing on the space ahead of me, where something green suddenly was seen. That green expanded and turned into - a forest clearing! A jungle!"  
"We're going to Viet Nam?" Polemos exclaimed. "See, Bellona!"  
"Come on, thickhead! That's not even Earth!" Enyo replied.  
"It's not even Cosmos," Athena pointed out.

Once again we were passing through an opening in time-space. And once again I became aware of that glimpse of vertigo before I found myself standing in a steaming hot forest filled with strange sounds of wildlife, wind through trees and what appeared to be streaming water somewhere. A musky, fungus-like smell penetrated my nostril in an almost assaulting way after the fragrance less Taranev. When all of us had passed through Hades closed the gate again.  
"Welcome to Solawe," he said this time. "Now remember to breath carefully here, this air is very rich of Oxygen. More than you're used to."  
"Is this not the universe we know?" Xantos asked. "Sure looks like it."  
"I thought we were doing the Styx trajectory," Achilles said.  
"We're getting there," Paradox answered. "This is like a shortcut."

I became aware that my body was lightly shielded, probably there were some perilous things here. Most probably poisonous bugs or something similar which was threatening my physical integrity. Hades explained that we could not set up a portal right in this place because it would be too near our entry point which meant that it could damage the structure of this universe if we tried to exit so close in the time-space.  
"Never heard about anything like that before," Nike said. "After all I've been tripping..."  
"This is what's special with this universe, it's a rather young place." Athena replied. "Only some billions of years old. Or a bit more than half the age of our solar system. Its structure is a bit more vulnerable. Now, this planet we're on is actually among the first ones here that sustains life, I'm glad we found it because otherwise we could hardly have made this shortcut. Tripping trough outer universes takes so much more preparations, especially those which aren't like ours and might present different kinds of dangers. Like hostile inhibitors."

Now we began levitating to move further on. As we were ascending I noted that these 'trees' were not what they first had seemed like. The clearing we had been in had not been on the ground but way up in the tree and where two large branches met. These trees were much larger, grander and higher than the ones on Earth, I guessed they were something like 5000 feet high. Or even taller, since I couldn't even begin to guess how far it was to the ground. I spotted waterfalls streaming down the trunks and in places I even saw lakes or ponds where there seemed to be deepenings in the branches.

We passed fluffy clouds of condensed air and flying things that stuck to us now and then which appeared to be seed of some kind.  
"It's all very remarkable," Apollo said next to me.  
"Yes and beautiful."  
"Yes - in a way."

"Watch out!" Alexander, who was ahead, suddenly called. The next second our first real challenge presented itself in the form of large, dark and purple dragon like beings which came flying across the sky with the clear intent of intercepting us. They probably thought us to be a tasty lunch or something. Quickly we pulled swords and guns and begun defending us against these beings. Which proved to be no real hazard, they were soon outdone and their dead bodies went crashing down towards the ground. When they fell, some kind of blue things attacked them in turn, and soon the beings were covered with blue things. Then, as fast as these blue things had appeared, they were gone again. And so were the 'dragons'.  
"Neat little cleaning system," Ares remarked and sheeted his sword.

We kept soaring. Soon we were above all those trees and at that point we changed direction. Now, for the first time I got a closer look at the sky of this world. The heaven was cloudless, bluish green and covered with several large and multicoloured stars which shone down on this planet, making this place also devoid of real shadows. As far as my eyes could see, an endless forest of these gigantic trees was stretching. We kept going in a direction which could pass for 'north' if this planet rotated the same way as Earth. Then I guess it didn't since those stars didn't move in a single direction like back home but kept on wavering and were crisscrossing each other, turning and reversing and made me all confused. When I pointed this out to Apollo he was just shrugging and laughing.

"This place lacks Earth magnetism as well" Penthesileia said where she was flying next to us. "In fact I haven't sensed any electromagnetic powers at all in this place."  
"Interesting," I replied. "That makes me wonder how life here is constructed. After all back home it's all about electricity when the cells communicate."  
"They must have some other system," Penthesileia guessed. "Magic perhaps. Too bad we can't stay here and explore this place a bit better."  
"Perhaps we can return one day," Xantos figured. "Under other, less martial circumstances."  
"Yeah, that would be great," I replied.

"What's with these stars by the way," Enyo was asking as she craned her neck, also confused by the movement of the celestial bodies.  
"They're so much smaller than our suns," Athena replied. "And they are actually revolving around this planet, instead of the other way around."  
"They're - moons?" Apollo raised a brow.  
"Yeah, that's something for you to get your mind around - Sun God," Athena laughed.

All in all it was a pretty nice trip. I was beginning to enjoy myself more and more, the fear from earlier almost gone. Then, after perhaps two hours of flight, we suddenly came to a place where the forest was ending - and here was a large and deep ravine. It was so large that it was impossible to make out where it ended, in front of us was just this endless green sky dotted with spinning stars. When I looked down I just saw more of the kind.

"Wow!" I exclaimed.  
"Yeah!" Kyknos said. "Welcome to the end of the world!"  
"You can say that again, Kick-Nose," Athena replied. "Because this is exactly what it is. This planet ends here."  
"It's not round?"  
"Nope! This is the realm of the flat Earth."

I had to Wow at that again. It seemed impossible - and yet here we were, staring down the end of the world.  
"So you can actually fall off here?" Penthesileia wondered.  
"No, gravity prevents it." Athena replied. "Note that we are still levitating. Not free falling." After that we dived, 'down' or whatever you might call it, leaving behind the flat and tree covered planet. When I faced down I expected to see perhaps that burning hell man believed existed beneath Earth once upon a time. But no, there was just stone surrounded by clouds, like inverted mountains. I sent out a probing tentacle towards those 'mountains', just to note that gravity was pointing 'upwards' there, although it was so much weaker than it had been on the other side of the flat planet.

0O0O0O

Now we were going 'downwards' from the original planet, through this strange space which was - I noted with surprise - air filled. After a while we found another planet, much smaller than the original one. This planet - if you could really call it planet - was not really flat but more shaped like a big potato. The potato planet appeared to be revolving around the planet we came from and which was now visible through the haze of this air filled space, looking like a large, green shadow 'above' us.  
"This place is safe?" Ares asked.  
"Yes," Hades answered. "We can without harm cross over to the next dimension here."  
"Do we take the same way back home?" Hercules asked.  
"Yes, mostly we do," Paradox replied.  
"Great!" The brawny god smiled. "Because I like to see more of this amazing place."

"Where we're going now is the 'Teprianou' - or the 'Down Under'." Hades said. "It's well known to some of you - and a bit more dangerous."  
"The land of the dead?" I felt chill traverse down my spine.  
"Negative," Paradox replied. "We're not going to cross the Styx."  
"So there is an underworld river then?" I asked. "I never thought - I thought _that _was just a myth after all. And you're not king there after all, Hades."  
"Yes I am," the dark skinned god grinned. "So to say."  
"He has been down there a lot," Paradox explained. "He knows these places, so it was more or less an honorary title he got after all these trippings."

Hades bowed silently in Paradox' direction and then he and Athena were opening up a new portal again. This time we entered a place which was indeed both dark and scary. I felt it down in my bones that this was not exactly 'the place to be'. When we passed through the gate it was with a bit of a regret I looked back at the green Solawe universe with its emerald sky and coloured star-moons. It had been like a fantasy adventure. Where we were going now felt just scary.

Nonetheless here we found usselves standing on Terra Firma. Or at least sort of. When stepping through the portal I was treading down on something which felt like slick marble. It was a flat, sleek and obsidian material and I quickly suspected it to be made by intelligent beings because it was so even, with not a single dent or bump anywhere. It seemed almost too perfect.  
"Not as far as we know," Paradox answered my question. "Then again, this place is extremely old. Thousands of billions years older than our own universe. Perhaps as old as time itself. So it wouldn't surprise me if this surface had been manufactured by some long forgotten sentient beings."  
"Is this place really that old?" Alexander raised a brow as he kept on looking around.  
"Yes it is, and it will continue to exist long after that we are gone." Athena said in a dry voice. "We, as well as our universe."

Just as Alexander, I looked around, and was met by impenetrable darkness in all directions. All directions save for to the right of me where something like a glittering cross between a Milky Way and a river was stretching across the nothingness, disappearing into eternity at both ends. Once again I was surprised that it was light enough for us to see usselves and each other. There was also a weak glean reflecting off the smooth surface we were standing upon. Something was shining upon us, although I couldn't not see any source of light.  
"What's that?" I pointed at the multicoloured Milky Way thing which seemed to be slowly moving from one end to the other.  
"That's the Styx," Hades replied, "named after its discoverer, the mother of Kratos, Zelos, Nike and Bia."  
"The river of the dead?" I had to ask.

"Yes it is indeed." Hades said. "Although it's not exactly a river in the sense we know. It's a quantum flux, an endless drift of time and space which cordons off this last existence in the realm of life from the realm of death. On the yonder side of that flux lays the realm of the dead. There lie the Lethe and the Asphodel, places where the souls get cleaned and recalibrated to be able to reincarnate and return to the realms of the living again."  
"Is it possible to... go there?" Bellona asked and looked with frightened yet fascinated eyes upon the Styx flow.  
"Yes, eventually even you will die, dear and then you'll inevitably go there." Hades said with a grain of raspy sadness in his voice.  
"But I meant - as a living being?" Bellona again.  
"No, not really..." Hades answered.  
"But then how can we really know what's it like the other side?" Xantos asked.

"We cannot go there, that is true, but it is possible to see beyond Styx. To regard those places." Hades replied. "I have done it when I needed to find certain dead souls. Which has to be done when they are still in the early Lethe state, because later they become unrecognizable. All memories, all characteristics gone. After that they blend into the huge uni-soul from which new souls keep forming in an endless cycle. New souls to begin new lives somewhere in the multiverse."  
"How can you do that? Check what's beyond I mean?" Bellona wondered.  
"It's an advanced form of scrying," Hades said. "Takes decades to learn, and a lot of patience. And a lot of magic energy. However, usually you don't have to do it; usually you can find those souls you want before they cross the Styx, because it's a rather long journey for a soul to get here. It takes about two or three of our Earth years, even if the objective time is shorter."  
"The objective time?" Castor asked.  
"Yes, that is the current of time it takes for the soul to travel through the dimensions, which may be about a week. So I can usually catch them before they cross over."

"Is there a Charon and a ferry? And a Tartarus? And an Elysium?" I asked and Hades nodded:  
"The Charon is the name of the wormhole used by human and humanoid souls. The Tartarus is a place way beyond here where certain souls get stuck if they are too damaged to be able to reincarnate. Finally, the Elysium has nothing to do with this place, it's just another universe quite far from here. A paradise place. I managed to reincarnate some human souls into that place once. Noble souls which were haunted by strange and creepy beings down here, beings which I wanted to save them from."  
"We disposed some souls there that we rescued from a mine where..." I began, and Paradox told that it was indeed a corner of that waste universe.

"Another question," I insisted. "When we visited the 'third level', that place of fear, we went beyond Asphodel. How come if we cannot really go there."  
"Because we didn't go with our physical bodies," Phobos explained. "Remember, we were still at Ares' place in New York all the time, but travelling in our minds, something which we cannot do now."  
"Those places are fascinating, guys." Ares interrupted. "But school's out for the time being. We have to get going."  
"Yes, we are going to the Phresan wormhole to use another kind of shortcut," Athena said. "That is, we are taking the reverse way of the dead Phresans to reach their universe which is the second last stop before we'll arrive at the Atlas orb."

0O0O0O

The Phresan wormhole became an experience which went outside everything I had ever been through earlier. It was indeed a high road for dead souls, that we were making the reverse trip through. Therefore I had expected it to be scary. I guess I had anticipated something like a cliché representation of dead ones, like the classic ghosts and ghouls or decaying souls. But first of all, the Phresans were not human or even remotely humanoid, and their souls, which I had pointed out to me, looked more like discarded feathers than anything else. Now we were travelling through passages with strange geometrics which didn't make any sense at all to me. Next to me Apollo was questioning if we weren't travelling backwards on some occasions, because it clearly seemed like that.  
"How much further to go?" asked Kratos. "I'm getting slightly sick by this place."  
"You're not the only one," Penthesileia chimed in. "Under normal circumstances I'd heaved by now."  
"Get a grip, daughter!" Ares banned. "No one's gonna puke here!"

"It's not much longer, guys," Paradox reassured us. In spite it felt like an eternity before we reached the next place, which was actually the Phresan world. A place which looked like made out of glass or ice under a burning red sky - and the same colour and light coming from below and mixed with primary blue. For the first time I saw living Phresans as well, fluffy and pastel-coloured birdlike beings with long strings of what appeared to be iridescent soap bubbles attached to them. However they didn't seem to perceive us. Or at least they didn't care that we were there, they just went flying about minding their own business. Deimos and Polemos were picking some glowing red things from the ground, talking about radioactivity and energy sources, but Ares ordered them to leave the stuff alone, since we didn't know what it was and how it would affect other worlds.

Hades and Athena had just started to prepare for the opening of the next portal - when we suddenly became contacted!

It all happened so fast, one second we were alone, standing on one of these ice-like sprouts and talking about gleaming orbs of power and opening our portal - and the next second we were surrounded by what appeared to be hundreds and hundreds of these Phresans. Although these beings didn't seem hostile - far from it. Neither curious. It was almost - as if they had expected us to arrive. Still I felt a bit anxious and I grabbed Apollo's arm, and he said something comforting.  
"Now what? Run or engage?" was Kyknos' comment behind me.  
"Wait!" Ares ordered.  
"But what have they done to Hades?"

I turned around to the words of Kyknos and to Polemos' cursing, finding that there seemed to be something wrong with our guide. The dark-skinned god was down on his knees and hiding his face in his hands - then he slumped forwards and fell on his belly on the shiny and semitransparent ground.  
"Hades!" Apollo called out and ran over to the fallen god, kneeling beside him.  
"The fuckers! Let's kick their - whatever anatomic details there is fit kicking!" Kyknos roared and Deimos and Polemos chimed in.  
"Apollo, how bad is it?" I called out, trying to see what my beloved did as he took Hades' head and put it in his lap.  
"Paradox can you...?" Hercules was saying and around me I heard several of my comrades pull out their swords and coking their guns alongside angered mumbles. Then Paradox stepped up and stood in front of Hades.  
"Wait!" She ordered and held up her hands, and there was such an authority in her voice that everybody immediately obeyed.

"What, Paradox?" Ares enquired with a wrinkled brow, even he had a katana and a firearm ready.  
"He's talking to them. They are not hostile. On the contrary!"  
"But why...?" Athena sounded worried as well.  
"He knows these beings. He's been here before. He has gone to tell them why we are here, why we are passing through. He'll be back soon."  
"Back? What do you mean?" Enyo asked, lowering her machine gun slightly as she glanced over to the unconscious god, suspicion glowing in her jet black eyes.

"He's soul tripping," Apollo explained. "His heart rate is down to less than one per minute and his body is put in resting stasis while his astral has gone off talking to these creatures."  
"That's true," Paradox said. "As humans we have no way to communicate with the Phresans. But if you exit the physical body you can speak to them on an astral plane. That's what Hades does now."  
"This is creepy," said Bellona.  
"Relax," Nike told her. The goddess of victory was the only one save for Athena and Apollo who hadn't pulled out her weapon. She looked from Bellona to Ares and nodded and our leader returned the gesture. A second later he sheeted his katana and gun. When he did that, all the rest of us followed trough.

"How long...?" Xantos asked.  
"Hard to tell," Paradox replied. "Let's sit down a while."  
"That'll make us more vulnerable." Phobos said.  
"But we need to rest. And we're in no danger right now."  
"Okay," Ares said. "Phobos, Hercules, Athena, Nike and Kratos. You looks most fit as it is now. You remain standing and on full alert together with me. The rest of you may sit down if you like. You may even take a light powernap if you feel the need. Or eat some."

Thus I found myself sitting down next to Penthesileia and Achilles. As I did, I realized how really down to the bone tired I was. There had been so many impressions, so much happening that it felt like days had passed since we left Zeus and Hera's place and the Aether behind us.  
"How long have we really been on the way?" I asked the Amazon.  
"Hard to tell," she replied. "According to my internal clock we have been travelling for ten hours now. But I know that time here is different. We have been travelling both forwards and backwards in time and I've... I feel completely lost in time and space. My only consolidation is the knowledge that when we return back to the Aether and Olympia again, we will do so not much later than the time we left. Athena and Hades have calculated it that way at least."  
"You trust everything is going to be fine then?" I asked, shifting position on the hard ground.  
"Why, of course. We're the Olympians after all," Penthesileia smiled and I wished I could share her confidence.

0O0O0O

I must have slept for a while, because the next thing I noticed was that Hades had 'returned' to 'the land of the living'. (I was running out of descriptions of our situation here - fast!) and now he was standing up although bent over and with hands on his knees, muttering something about how the head always spun when you came out of these deep trances.  
"How long were you gone - approximately?" Athena asked.  
"Some - twelve hours. Personal time. I had to... tell the Phresans what we were up to, that we were just passing through. Apparently - there have been a lot of hostilities in this part of the realms recently. And by recently the Phresans mean some 400 of their years. They're - their time usually runs a bit slower than ours but after comparing our notes I found out that it's our good friends the Neotitans who have been the reason for the unruly situation over here."

"The Tits've been fighting the Phresans?" Ares asked. By the look on him he found it hard to believe.  
"Not exactly but Phresans soul travel a lot - it's a very natural part of their life. And since 400 years - I think that was what they said at least - the Phresans have been plagued by 'nightmares' - scary visions while soul tripping. These beings often contact and talk to their dead, sort of guide them through and help them reincarnate. They have come quite a bit longer than us humans, they can actually model a new life for their own reincarnations. More experienced Phresans help their younger comrades through the process of life and dead. This is something they have been doing for hundreds of thousands of years without any problem. So this experience for them is rather new. And rather scary. They feel that there's - well 'something' out there trying to stop them from reaching across the Styx flow and reincarnate the normal way. Recently they have actually lost souls down under."

"That's awful!" Athena replied. "What makes you think this has to do with 'our' Titans?"  
"They connect this threat to us. When I told them that no human, divine or otherwise, have been messing with them and their reincarnation handling they were really confused. And became even more scared."  
"Why didn't they just accuse you of lying to them?" Ares asked, sounding confused as well.  
"Because the very concept of lying is alien to them, since they see deep down into the soul with their powers. Al right they weren't actually able to read the whole of me - since I'm such an alien being for them. But they understood that we Olympian passer-bys were not the source of the disturbance. Our energies were different from those causing them problems. We were just from the same place as the disturbance. But the Phresans told me they were very worried."

"But why would the Titans mess with the Phresans?" Hercules wanted to know.  
"Beats me," Hades shrugged. "Still, ever since I began my discussion with the Phresans I've been convinced that we were talking about the same things. I could feel it down in my bones - it's the Titans who've stirring up trouble here too. Perhaps they want the Phresans' land - after all this is a powerful world, you must all have sensed it - that it has actually nurtured you - made you stronger. Or perhaps the Titans just like to pick fights with other sentient beings for no apparent reasons. Nevertheless, I didn't promise them to deal with the problem, after all I don't know how long these disturbances will last after we have removed the Titans. But if a race can't even die in peace, then there's something really wrong going on in this Multiverse. If it is the Titans from our world, then it is our obligation to stop them."  
"So what are we waiting for?" Athena cut Hades off. "Let's go! We have two dimensions more to go through before we reach the Atlas Orb."


	31. The Atlas Orb

**The Atlas Orb**

Once again a portal took us into a world way different from the earlier ones. This place - called 'Suufar'- appeared more like a lunar landscape with a rough ground covered with some kind of red-brown moss which felt soft beneath our feet. A starry cosmos was spreading across the skydome above us, picturing strange constellations including two large galaxies. Both the stars and the sky had a kind of pink hue to them and their sheen was reflecting in large pools of ice (or some other frozen liquid) that we passed by. In some places, I noted peculiar structures which reminded me of something built by intelligent beings. Upon asking no one could really explain what they were. However, the strangest thing was the music. All the time during our walk across this landscape we could hear soft tones ringing in our ears. Tunes which were both enjoyable and annoying at the same time.  
"The music of the spheres." Apollo said and squeezed my hand.  
"Really?"  
"Yes, it's from this place the legend derives."

"That's correct," Athena said. "This is one of the few places where regular humans have set foot. They came here by mistake back in the centuries before Christ, since there was an anomaly back on Earth then, an opening into this world. People kept on passing from Earth over to this place and then back. And you know what happened to those who went?"  
"No?" I said and now both Xantos and Bellona were listening intensely, neither of them had heard this story earlier.

"These people came back rejuvenated, with all traces of age and infirmities gone," Athena went on. "So more and more people dreamt about going to this place to become young again. Although it proved very hard to find, since the anomaly was not fixed into a specific position on Earth. It tended to drift around in Europe, the Middle East and sometimes Northern Africa as well. Occasionally the entrance point was located deep down in a cave in the Alps, other times out in the dessert of Mesopotamia and now and then on remote islands. It became a place of legends. For about four hundred years that opening remained and then the universes drifted apart and the connection became severed. After that all the artifacts which had been brought from this place started to disappear, since they were made out of another atomic structure and they couldn't last on Earth when the connection between the worlds was gone. The item to last the longest was a simple piece made out of a matter reminiscent of uranium, but not radioactive. It lasted a bit into the 700:th century and it became known as 'The Philosopher's Stone'. Just like almost all items brought from this realm it was rejuvenating and it could be applied in a way to turn one matter into another, and it was mostly used to make gold. The legendary king Midas had it in his position for quite a long time."

"The Philosopher's stone!" I exclaimed. "It was real?"  
"Yes and so were many other items which came from this place. 'The Holy Grail' for instance was just a simple stone with a deepening in it, which made it possible to drink from it. The special feature with 'the Grail' was that anything you poured into it became affected by the matter of the Grail and thus rejuvenating. It was in the possession of the English king Arthur when it disappeared."  
"I do remember that legend," Bellona said. "The knights of the round table had access to the Grail before it suddenly became lost, and a few of them kept searching fruitlessly for it for quite some time. But didn't the Grail also have something to do with Jesus Christ?"  
"That I cannot answer," Athena replied. "There were many similar objects around coming from this world in the beginning of the Common Era."

Then our conversation stopped for a while and we kept on walking in silence, listening to the music of the spheres. Each one in her or his own thoughts. After a while the terrain began to slope upwards and we saw more of these structures which could be ruins. They did have certain regularity to them like right angles and even 'walls'. While we advanced forwards, I was toying with the idea of taking something from this place with me back home. Something to give to my parents. To see if I could somehow rejuvenate then, to keep them with me longer...

O0O0O

This time Hades guided us up on the top of a small hill, from which we could see further on into this flat landscape. On this top was an almost circular stone with something very worn upon it. Something which seemed, if you used your imagination, to be some kind of letters or symbols. I was ready to beat my signed copy of Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' that it was text of some kind, but when I said that to Paradox she just smiled.  
"We'll never learn," she said. "So do keep your record, Aidra. I've never been that found of Madonna anyhow."  
"Yeah I know, you like those... what's their name again?"  
"Evanescence. Nightwish. And Blutengel."  
"Never heard of any of them."  
"Then remind me when we get back home. You'll have something to look forward to."  
"I wouldn't trust her!" Enyo said and made a face.

Meanwhile Hades and Athena had opened up yet another of these portals on top of the hill, and first I thought myself staring back into that Taranev place again. The place where we had begun this journey. But as I got a closer look I noted that we were actually looking into another of these 'between-places'. Almost identical, yet not the same. This place had a more worn kind of look, it lacked the mists and mirages and some of the 'spike-pillars' were actually off in certain places, more resembling pillars of old Greek ruins than anything else.

As we stepped through the portal, I asked Hades if I was right in my assumption that this was an older place.  
"Not really," Hades replied. "It appears that this place has been damaged for some reason. I don't dare to guess what might have happened, it wasn't like this the last time I came here. In fact this place should be indistinguishable from Taranev if you look only to the surface."  
"Yes, this is serious," Athena said. "It looks like this place is breaking apart. As if entropy has speeded up thousand folds. This shouldn't be happening to these places."  
"What might have caused it?" Phobos asked as he looked around in what actually looked like an older version of Taranev.  
"The Titans?" Kyknos was guessing, sounding grim.  
"Or a speed-up of the time flux," Paradox suggested.  
"Nothing's certain." Hades said and furrowed his brows. "I don't dare to guess but I agree with Athena. This is bad. These places shouldn't look like this."  
"What might happen?" I asked.  
"They might break apart, making it impossible to trip in certain places. Make it impossible to die in certain places."

"Would that be so bad?" Alexander asked.  
"Well just imagine if no one died. If all the people just went on living. Not just only the gods," Ares replied.  
"Oh, beings would die, all right." Athena said. "They do that eventually when the physical bodies wear out. Although they wouldn't be able to go further. So many souls would be stuck as ghosts in their home world and unable to reincarnate. Finally the world would grow out of soul energy, and no more children could be born because there would be no souls to infuse the new life. And the world would be just one for ghosts. Endlessly walking the ruins of their lost civilization."  
"Spooky," I said as I shuddered.  
"That's the word!" Bellona nodded her head.  
"Is that what happened to Renanaar?" Enyo asked and Athena said she thought so.

Then some words were said about a world I'd never heard about before but it sure sounded like it had been struck by a sad faith. Apparently the loss of death in that place was not caused by a destroyed throughway or some similar disaster but experimentations with immortality which these beings had been performing some tens of thousands years ago. They had tried to stop themselves from dying and in the end just stopped the process of the souls moving forward to the Deathlands on the other side of the Styx flow, condemning them to endlessly wander their native world. In the beginning that proved no real problem, these ghosts kind of liked hanging around. Yet as the centuries went by, they became more and more of those ghosts walking the world, and they started to tire of it but weren't able to do anything about it. Couldn't move on! After some millennia the souls of this realm had ran out and children stopped being born. Finally the whole race had died and become condemned to this ghost existence. Hades, Persephone, Nyx and Keres had happened upon Renanaar by coincidence while they were tripping and after some intense research they had managed to restore the Renaarian's death process. That was one of the events which had rendered Hades the honorary 'King of Death'.

"But it was far from easy," Hades said, while he and Athena started to prepare for the final opening, the one which was supposed to lead to the Atlas Orb. "It took us more than 300 years to fix those people, and in the end it wore out my and Persephone's marriage. She was tired of tripping after that while I had become more interested in travelling the realms."  
"You were gone for 300 years?" I asked.  
"Two minutes Earth Time," Hades sighed. "But for Peri it was enough. She was over and done with this. And we fought about it for quite some time, but in the end we decided it was better to go our separate ways."  
"Poor you. But maybe you can..." I began but Hades just shook his head. "Nothing can fix that now. We simply just want different things with life. And we have learned to respect that now. Even if we mean that we cannot..."

Hades said nothing more, he just kept doing what he was here to do, however I could tell that these things had torn up things in his mind he had wanted to keep a lid on. I felt a bit bad for yearning to know. Still, I couldn't have been the first one to ask. Besides there had to be a lot of places out here that must have reminded him of his lost marriage. It was seldom possible to tip-toe around these issues.

Soon everything about Renanaar and Hades' marriage became forgotten, when I was called forward to open up the closed orb, behind which the Titan leaders were hiding, far, far away from Earth and their subjects. Not like in the human world, where most of the leaders made sure to be right where everything that mattered was going on.

Now, this was the chance for me to prove myself. To do what I had come all this long way to do, and to show that I was worthy to be among those gods, to be a part of this so important venture, and just not a hanger-on who kept asking ignorant things all the way through. Breathing in and swallowing hard I made my way up to the front and brought out that piece of paper upon which I had scribbled down the formula of magic just in case. And checked and double checked so many times along the way that it was there, making sure that I had not lost or forgotten it somewhere. Nonetheless it was not needed, since I had learned the spells by heart. Concentrating hard, closing my eyes against all kind of impressions, I began to recite those spells which were to open the final gate to the Atlas Orb.

_Tamenar o yardander la gernagar tarop in_  
_Norhamner greligor flrethesees o kerlgeren _  
_Frevodgan kla i rabrenser_  
_Revogaron otori i pati_  
_Wernegoran nerki kerzerver merlder oridern_  
_Trenur o frewekoran govazzer kla ser_  
_Re la fregrovi la nerki la gernagar_  
_Tarop in la Hoporinor ogramaran_  
_Lorandaron brovian la nerki_  
_La kerlgeren wen grefrester sere_

Then I almost fainted as I began to see some kind of discolouring appear in front of us, just another opening of the kind I had already seen several of.

_Hanradaran ora kler o tresfresn_  
_Zernatren singol o troin trai_  
_Rifortu la gravi eti_

Only that this opening was mine. My doing!

_Zernatren freo kla nerki i oroa_  
_Olinso gasfen emi_  
_Vergrennar o pati_

This was the one I was opening up.

_Trenur o merlder gravi_  
_Mordelission_  
_Brovian sagtert kla_

And this was the opening to the Atlas Orb.

_Re ytren kerlgeren o tofis_  
_Grendel fi otori marden_  
_Joardereno la nerki la gernagar_  
_O gurvian feloro_

Now the opening was there, just like all the rest. Was it really that easy?

"Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the Atlas Orb," I beamed. "Hope you've had a pleasant flight."  
"No, the food was bad," Xantos joked and spread chuckles were heard.  
"Great work, Aidra!" Athena said though and gave me a hard hug.  
"Okay," Ares brought us back to business. "I'll repeat this once more now: Castor, Phobos and Bellona, you are the one to find the Troika consisting of the Titans Hekla, Torianus and Tancredius. Achilles, Penthesileia and Xantos will assist and back you up, and step in in case anyone of you falls through. Nike, Hercules, Polemos, Kratos and I are coming with you to provide with cover fire. Enyo, Pollux, Paradox and Deimos, you stay right inside the portal to make sure it will be possible to reopen from our side while Aidra, Hades and Athena do that on the outside. Then Alexander, Kyknos and Apollo are your bodyguards, although from your perspective the venture shouldn't take that long. Good luck everybody, now we are going in!"

Then it took less than a minute and they were all gone and the gate closed behind them. All I had got to see was a world looking very much like our own. It could be anywhere; in fact it reminded me of a tropical resort, with a deep blue see and some palm trees and white buildings. Now I was facing only Apollo, Alexander, Kyknos, Hades and Athena and the place suddenly seemed very silent and foreboding.  
"It feels kind of strange," I said. "How long you think it'll take?"  
"If everything works fine they'll be back here any moment, since they are to exit in the very time-space from where they came." Hades replied. "Still, Apollo, stand by in case any healing should be needed."  
"I will," said my beloved. "Will they come back right here?" he indicated where the portal had been.  
"Approximately..." Hades began. The next second the world cracked around us and a large deepening was seen in the middle of the air. Like a portal, yet not. And it was sucking my beloved in.

"Apollo!" I yelled and threw myself after him, and in the last moment I got a grip of his trench coat and then I held on for dear life.  
"Aidra!" I could hear Athena behind me. "Don't..." and her voice faded as Apollo and I were falling through dark but silvery, air. Now what?

I didn't even get the chance to become afraid before we both hit some kind of surface with a thud. It felt like dirt and grass, sure it even smelled the same way. And we were up in an instance.  
"Apollo why did you?" I asked in the same instance as Alexander landed next to us.  
"Athena sent me for you!" he said. "Damn you, you'll have to come back!"  
"Is she and Kick-Nose all alone there now with Hades?" Apollo asked.  
"Yes, but why?"  
"Alexander, this was a mistake, I didn't know the darn thing was going to reopen."  
"Apollo, we don't have time to discuss it now. Can you open up again so we can return?"  
"I'm not sure," the sun god replied. "I'm not even sure this is the Atlas Orb after all," he said and looked around the nocturnal landscape of a forest with thousands of sounds and gleaning animal eyes shining between the leaves of low, shrubby vegetation.

"Well, don't look at me, guys!" I yelled. "I for sure didn't plan to come here!"  
"Then why did you..."  
"I was trying to save YOU, Apollo!"  
"That was the damn dumbest thing I've ever..."  
"What? So I should just stand there and watched you dive in here all alone then?"  
"Yes, Hades could've found me later. Now, we'll have to..."  
"Come on, fighting doesn't help the least!" Alexander snapped as he stared at us.

"So what do we do then?" I asked. "Wait for Hades?"  
"Anyone has a better idea?" Alexander replied.  
"Can't we at least find out where we are? If the rest are far?" Apollo asked.  
"And how exactly do you propose we should do that?" I asked. "Telepathic message?"  
"Yes of course, since I take it cell phones do not work here."  
"Yeah right," Alexander scoffed. "And tell every Titan and his dog we're here."  
"They probably already know," I said and shrugged. I was pissed. With myself as well as with Apollo. Everything was going so fine and then we had to fuck up. Big time. I could hardly believe it! What had we been thinking? We didn't even know if it was possible to get out from here. If someone could open up a portal and bring us out.

We didn't even know where we were, damn it!

"What if it has been over for ages," I said and stared into the woods with my night vision, seeing only moving branches and a tiny mammal stalking something hiding in a pit a bit away. "What if our comrades have already killed the Troika and went home centuries ago. Or become defeated? After all you both know that time is not the fixed constant it is back home."  
"Chaos, Aidra, you don't really think they'd leave us here, do you?"  
"I have no clue. Perhaps they couldn't get us out? Perhaps they really lost us. Perhaps this is not the Atlas Orb we're in at all; perhaps we ended up somewhere else when that portal opened up."  
"And why should they lose us?" Apollo sounded annoyed.  
"Why not?" I said. "I'm not the expert on these places."  
"Well, neither am I!" the sun god said.

"Will you two stop it?" Alexander roared. "You're not helping us by fighting. I suggest we go down to the sea instead."  
"What sea?" I asked.  
"Can't you smell it? The salty smell of an ocean?"  
"Yeah... when you say so. C'mon let's go then!"

Not saying anything more we began to follow Alexander who led the way through the forest, which wasn't as thick as it first had seemed. It reminded more of a park. And I was still mad. Darn that rude Apollo! Imagine I had tried to help him!

O0O0O

After about five minutes we arrived at a beach of some kind, with pale sand glittering in the light from a moon that reminded of Earth's moon but was much larger and more yellow. Almost like the moon in a movie or a fairytale. Not really knowing what to do we sat down and looked out over the tranquil ocean which was glittering with yellow moon light. It was obvious that we couldn't just sit here and wait to be rescued, that was stupid. Still we couldn't for our lives figure out what to do. The only consolidation was that the wise Athena had sent Alexander after Apollo and me, and she wouldn't have done so if she thought we were getting lost and it was a hopeless venture for Alex to come after us. The only thing we could hope for was that Athena and Hades together would be able to figure something out. Something to get us away from this place wherever it was the Atlas Orb or anywhere else.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you back there," Apollo said and threw a pebble out in the water. He wasn't really looking at me when he said that, but seemed lost in thoughts and it all felt very empty. As a matter of fact I felt like wanting to trigger some emotion out of him, so I said:  
"Apollo, I went after you."  
"I know." As he bowed his head I suddenly understood what was eating at him. Guilt. Guilt for having screwed up and thus dragged both me and Alex into this.  
"At least it could be worse," I said and took his hand, "we could've ended up at some scary place. I'm certain there are plenty of them out there."

"Yes, there are," Apollo nodded slowly and Alexander said:  
"Aidra is right. Then, guys, it doesn't help anyone to sit here and be pissed over whatever it is. We better figure out something instead. Some way to return to that old between place. Because that's where the other guys are. Or - will be, depending on when we'll get there again of course."  
"But how?" I asked. "Seriously I know nothing about opening portals. The only thing I did back there was reciting some formulas of magic I had learned from Hades. I'm not sure if they'll work here. I'm not even sure I'd dare using them. Besides..."

At the same time it was as if the ground shook and heaved and the water seemed unruly as well. Then it stopped just as fast as it had started, but Apollo rose, bewildered. Next moment he was down again, lying on his belly, gun out.  
"Down!" he hissed; as we were diving as well, also taking out our guns. Alexander also wielded a shuriken, a ninja star, painted black to not glean in the moonlight. Smart lad! Soon we felt it too, several presences with cloaked identities rapidly getting nearer. The next second they turned around one of the large rock formations and became visible, heading in our direction with a fast and determined run. But they had still not seen us, and we waited, guns in hand and heads kept down.

But as the strangers got nearer, Alexander suddenly rose, uncocking and tucking his gun away.  
"Alex..." I began, trying to reach for his trouser leg to pull him down again. The next second I recognized the people coming towards us, and stood up too, brushing off grains of sands from my pants.  
"Guys!" Alexander called out with surprise in his voice.  
"Alex!" Ares was saying, echoing the sentiment. "Aidra, Apollo! What the chaos are you doing here, weren't you supposed to...?"  
"Stay outside, yeah, but that dorkhead Apollo had to trigger the gate open again and jump inside." Alexander said as we became surrounded by not only the War God but also Nike, Hercules, Polemos, Kratos, Penthesileia and Achilles.  
"Hey!" Apollo growled and I felt the need to defend him:  
"It was a mistake."  
"But then Aidra had to jump after him, so Athena sent me in as well, to make sure they didn't do anything stupid. This is the Atlas Orb after all, right?"

"Indeed it is!" Ares said as he looked first from Alexander and then to Apollo and me and then back to his younger brother again as something dark swept over his features. "And you guys - I should really be chewing you out for endangering this mission if it isn't the case that we need your help. I guess we should consider usselves lucky for you showing up."  
"See!" Apollo said and grinned at Alexander who just made a face and shrugged.  
"What happened?" I asked the war god.  
"Two of the Troika members are dead all right. Hekla and Tancredius. But Torianus got away. And he's the most dangerous of the bastards. With him on the run out there we can't for our lives claim that we have gotten even half the mission finished. You see, he's the one who is to be regarded as the leader while the other two were more or less his stand-byes and advisors."

"And the others, are they persecuting him?" Alexander asked.  
"Yes, save for Castor who became injured. Bellona is helping him now. The rest of us were trying to get this monster. But he got away and we didn't know how or where, so we sent Deimos, Xantos and Enyo, who are best at mental tracing to try to locate him. They went off in three different directions to try to triangulate him. And with Pollux, Paradox and Phobos as bodyguards to one of each of them.  
"Complicated," Apollo groaned.  
"Such is war, bro'," Ares answered.  
"What was that earthquake thing?" Alexander asked.

"You felt it too?" Nike asked.  
"We don't know," Hercules said.  
"We think it might be some kind of weapon, that they are firing upon us, not having that much luck," said Kratos.  
"So what's the next step?" Alexander asked, eager to join into this venture.  
"We're going around this lake to cut back to the castle." Ares said, making a gesture with his arm in the direction away from the moonlit sea. "Aidra, Alex and Pol, you're coming with us! And Nike, Achi, you keep the channels open for incoming telepathy so that we might get there fast when Deimos, Xantos and Enyo find the beast!"

O0O0O

Soon we were on the move, together with some of our comrades again. We went across the dunes and returned into that park-like forest where Alex, Apollo and I had started our journey in the Orb. Along the way Ares and Penthesileia took turns at explaining what had happened. Apparently Phobos and Bellona had managed to finish off their victims while Castor had failed and been badly injured instead, when Torianus had fought back. After that Penthesileia and Achilles had tried to go after Torianus, who had opened up a wormhole and disappeared before anyone of them had made it. At the same time several Titan elite fighters out of the Troika's personal guard had attacked the other gods, so they had to retreat and regroup. That was when Ares had sent out Deimos, Xantos and Enyo with their bodyguards to try to locate Torianus' soul energies, and the rest of the gods had engaged in battle with the guards. That way they had ended up on the beach - by persecuting and killing some of these fighters.

While we continued through the woods, we felt two more of those kinds of quakes before we suddenly were alerted by Enyo. They had found Torianus and he was right to the north of us. Or what passed for north at this place. Enyo projected maps in our heads so we knew where to go. Divine GPS! Within seconds we set off in desired direction and when we were almost halfway there, Ares ordered us to fan out in a crescent formation to be able to deal with the Titan from several directions. The war god was also calling the others to us, telling them to take it easy and avoid discovery. In return he learned that Bellona had left the Orb with the injured Castor, hoping that Athena could take better care of him on the other side. And we had Apollo here, the best healer in the group! Talk about misfortune!

"I imagine Athena'll send Cas and Bella home," Nike guessed. "To Ask or Peri or someone who can take care of him."  
"He wasn't' that bad off," Ares answered. "Just wounded in action and unable to continue fighting. Athena should manage."

We left the woods and instead we found usselves sneaking up a hill with a minor gazebo where apparently Torianus had entrenched himself with an even stronger force of defenders than we had first thought. Ares made some quick rearrangements of our group and soon the ten of us were ready for the battle of our lives.


	32. Enemy of mankind

**Enemy of mankind**

Ten Olympians, ten Earth immortals against - what could it be - 50 Titans? It looked impossible - on the paper. But we had been up against worse odds than that, and on the bad guys' home turfs as well. So we didn't feel exactly discouraged by the thought of having to fight Torianus and his cadre of ugly bodyguards, even though you could safely say that this was most probably the very top notch of the Titan fighters.

_Let's start with some little diversions_, Ares suggested in our heads. Then he set the forest on the other side of the clearing on fire. Soon there were orange flames crackling in the woods, licking the vegetation and casting ghostly shadows in the night. We heard angered voices from the gazebo on top of that hill where Torianus was holed up and the next moment a few Titans went rushing off in the direction of the fire. But fewer than we had hoped, so Ares sent some more trees on fire, roughly about 45 degrees in the other direction. More Titans rushing off, and then we got quick impressions in our minds that these guys had encountered Deimos and Pollux - and their dead as well.

Ares mindspoke the new arrivals, praised them for their quick action and then he ordered them to stay where they were until he gave the signal to attack. After that he asked for the rest. _On their way_, Deimos replied, and soon the war god was talking to them as well, telling them the same thing as he had told his son a minute ago. Not much later the Titans had turned out the fires and then Ares started yet another fire, almost at the same place as the first one. While the Titans got even more upset and busy playing firemen he ordered us to engage the enemies, telling Xantos, Enyo, Paradox and Phobos to join as soon as they arrived.

First we sneaked up the hill and then on Ares' command, we all exploded in a screaming attack, taking in the air and shooting at what was in that Gazebo. For some reason the Titans seemed surprised that we were flying, hadn't they been able to guess who we were, I asked myself astonished. Or were they expecting somebody else? Yet someone was giving the Titans fast orders and they were soon adapting to our tactics and taking in the air as well. Meanwhile we stuck to our usual way - so as the Titans came closer we put away the guns and pulled our blades instead and launched against unprotected greyish Titan flesh. But not only that - Ares had some aces up his arms he hadn't played until now. The first one was some kind of gladiator net made out of magic plasma. I was confused when I saw first him, Hercules and Penthesileia back off when a large group of Titans came their way. The next moment they rounded the Titans and deployed the weapon and the surprised enemies sound found themselves snarled in a grid of bluish, sparking energies. In that net the Titans became barbequed until their horrid screams were echoing across the landscape.

Other Titans became victims of some tiny wormholes which blew right through their bodies, severing them in halves as they sent large chunks of the Titan's midsections - well - somewhere else.  
"That's Ares' doomsday weapons," Achilles told me. "They're horrid, warping time and space and making awful things. Ares don't dare to use them at home because no one really know what they might cause, how it might affect the world around. But I bet that about here it matters less."  
"Gee - where do those Titan bodies go - I mean the parts that disappear?" I asked as I ducked from one enemy's heavy swing of his war axe and used my blade to stab him in the belly.

"Who knows?" Achilles replied and wheeled backwards, kicking a Titan in the cheek with his spikey, steel-clad shoe.  
"Who cares?" Polemos snorted and beheaded two Titans with one swing of his long sword before he back-flipped and engaged a third.  
"Perhaps we don't want to know," Kratos said next to Achilles and split his enemy in half.  
"In the McDonald's burgers factory perhaps," Nike laughed.  
"Eurhg, you're disgusting!" I made a face.  
"Thanks," Nike replied and cut off the right arm of the Titan who was trying to stab her.  
"I'm loving it," Achilles sang at the same time, mocking the well-known commercial tune.

Meanwhile Ares made a sign in the air and then he and Hercules threw out something that resembled small soap bubbles, and when they connected with the enemies these were screaming as the bubbles started to eat away huge slabs of their skin. Apparently those bubbles were toxic or caustic. The attacked Titans fled screaming in the direction of the sea, no doubt set on trying to wash the liquid off their skin. At the same time Xantos, Enyo, Paradox and Phobos arrived and also took up the fight against the Titans. After that it didn't take long until we had finished off most of the resistance and crashed into that gazebo - only to find it empty. The big fish had slid out of the net - Again!

Ares cursed at the empty Gazebo and then he gripped the door frame and simply tore the sturdy wooden building in half. I knew that the War God owned an impressive strength but I had never seen him use it like that.  
"The son of a bitch used that worm hole again! How could we NOT suspect it?" Ares roared as he once more tore at the building.  
"Because he's a coward," Polemos said.  
"Yes," Nike added. "And since we are not, we sometimes forget to take that variable in the matter."  
"What variable," Ares snarled as he kicked at the rests, turning what was left of the gazebo into spilikin.  
"The cowardice variable," Nike said and tried to not sound lecturing or superior. "The one that triggers the 'flee' instinct with the enemy and makes him or her run headfirst to the hills instead of staying and face the enemy with an erect spine. You don't do that, Ares. But sometimes you forget that others do."

"Ball-less sissy," Ares spat. Then he calmed down a bit and said. "So how do we avoid spending the rest of eternity chasing the asshole around the Atlas Orb?"  
"Guess we have to trick him into showing up," Apollo suggested.  
"And how do we do that?" Achilles asked, while crackling his knuckles.  
"We'll simply give him the reason to believe that we have given up and left." Apollo went on.  
"He might be a coward but I don't hold him for that stupid," Enyo replied.  
"No, there has to be a smarter way," Ares agreed.

"Perhaps that's what he's trying to do," Paradox suddenly said as she went and picked something up among the rubble that had been the gazebo.  
"What?" asked Achilles as if on a cue.  
"Torianus knows that we found him once, and now he's trying to use that against us by luring us in a trap. Look as this, it's his ring. It reeks of his energies, of course since he has been wearing it almost constantly. He wants us to use it to trace him. To find him - and thus step in the trap he's planning."  
"So how do we avoid that?" Ares asked.  
"By not finding him of course," Paradox replied, juggling the ring in his hand.  
"Then how can we possibly kill him?" said Hercules who had sat down on a tumbled wooden pillar together with Kratos, helping him heal his cut-up loin.  
"Ever heard of voodoo, muscleman?" Paradox smirked as she turned around and faced him.

"You mean as in putting needles in dolls," I raised a brow. "Does it work?"  
"Sure does," Paradox replied. "If performed right and with the necessary skills and traits."  
"Well, I can't say I'm surprised. Not anymore," I grinned. "Not after learning that all those things I held for myths and urban legends were in fact more or less real. After all the next thing I'll learn is that flying saucers are real."  
"They are," Phobos replied. "Although the aliens don't use them."  
"Then who does?"  
"We do," Ares' son grinned.

"When?"  
"You rode in once, remember." Penthesileia replied. "The vimana. After the cave fights."  
"Oh, that one! But it was orb like!"  
"Yes, but that was because I was taking so many. Usually they are more flat and you ride two or three inside of them, sitting down and feeling comfy. And transporting a lot of things which are too awkward to carry around. And sometimes people get too comfy – get sloppy – and the mortals catch the sight of the vimanas."  
"Well I'll be... call me impressed!" I gasped.

"Good," Paradox replied, "now back to this voodoo thing."  
"Are we going to make a doll, putting needles in it?" Achilles asked, sounding almost as surprised as I had.  
"No, that's not really necessary." Paradox replied. "We've got this ring, it'll be ample for what I intend. A sufficient amount of Torianus' soul energies are bound to it. In voodoo you don't need a doll, that's just something people used to manufacture to make it all quite a bit scarier. What matters instead is that you have to have a personal object belonging to the person you want to perform the chaos magic upon. Yes, voodoo is simply a branch of chaos magic, or black magic as the ignorant people call it. You'll need a thing which that person has carried a lot, loved a lot or which is important to him or her. A ring like this one is often a useful thing. Sometimes a strand of hair or a clipped off nail is used, but that's a bit more awkward to work with even if it can turn out more power loaded. I usually prefer small things like jewelry, clothes or blue blankets."

"So the only thing really important is the attachment the object has had to its victim?" Deimos wanted to know.  
"True - oh - this makes it sound like I'm some kind of voodoo queen who stitches needles in dolls of my enemies regularly. Which I don't - when would I get time for that?"  
"Doxxie, we have no needles or dolls," Achilles insisted.  
"And as I said before, we don't need 'em," Paradox answered.  
"So how do we perform this magic then?"  
"Achilles, Torianus took a huge risk when he left this ring behind in hope that we would find it and come and get him. What he oversaw was that we could use it against him as well. Use it to hurt him."

By these words, Paradox handed the ring over to me, asking me to hold it for a second. As I took the ring I felt how it reeked with strange, old and most of all dark and wile energies. This Torianus was no good guy, that much was for sure. Not only had he and his race been trying to kill the people of Earth and us Olympians for so long, he obviously didn't care zilch about what happened to his own Titans, because then he wouldn't throw them so mercilessly against us. Like lambs to the slaughterer, while he took his chance to sneak away together with some close associates of his choice.

Paradox pulled out a ribbon from a pocket and then she asked for the ring again, which I gladly returned. As she retrieved the ring she tied the ribbon around it. After that she took some splinter from the destroyed gazebo and forced a small piece down in the muddy ground, tilting it so it was angling some 60 degrees from the ground. She took two more splinters like that and did the same, so she got a small and simple structure. By this moment she had made us all standing or squatting around her, regarding her intensely while she tied the ring on the ribbon in the middle of the little tower. And there it hung, some five inches from the ground, swinging slightly in the soft pre-dawn wind.

"So now what?" Deimos asked.  
"You'll see," Paradox replied. Then she turned to Ares who was standing almost right behind her:  
"Ar, can you lend me one of those acid bubbles you used earlier?"  
"Sure thing!" Ares reached inside one of the many pockets of his durable camouflage colored pants and produced a small box made of a red plastic material. He opened it up and took out another plastic item and handed it over to Paradox, telling her:  
"When you intend to use it, hold it in one of the corners of the plastic material and then blow upon it like this," Ares mimicked with his hand held close to his lips and made a quick and heavy breathing out. "And let go of what's materializes instead, sending it towards where you want it to go."  
"Okay," Paradox said and leaned towards the tower before mimicking Ares' gestures, but with the real thing available.

The next moment we all saw how the plastic bag sort of appeared to melt away and in its stead a clear, dime-sized orb was seen flowing in the direction of the hanging ring. But not really hitting, it touched the edge of the golden material with a fizzing sound. And then some kind of translucent smoke was snaking itself up from the golden ring and disappearing in the air to a foul smell. I saw Alexander opposite of me making a face and Apollo remarking on the stench. Then three or four tiny drips of gold fell from the ring and down in the dirt while the orb itself plowed itself down in the ground and disappearing.  
"Ares, you have another one?" Paradox held out her hand.  
"Now, young lady you have to do better than..." Ares began but Hekate's daughter cut him off:  
"I'm doing excellent. I'm not going to corrode this ring to pieces, just make some itty bitty damages upon it."

"But ain't you gonna kill the Titan son of a bitch?" Polemos began, looking up from the Uzi sub machine gun he was loading.  
"Destroying the ring won't kill him," Paradox replied. "Or rather most probably not, since these objects usually are powerful but not powerful enough to correspond with the complete soul power of the beings they belong to. So destroying the ring will probably just mean that we run out of voodoo equipment."  
"One ring to bind them with," Apollo was mumbling next to me and Hercules was chuckling.  
"Quite true," Paradox replied and looked up at my beloved for a short moment. "Good old Tolkien didn't know how right he was in many cases."  
"Or perhaps he did," Apollo replied.

Then our voodoo queen took the next plastic bag from Ares and once again she repeated the blowing stunt. Once again a part of the ring melted away while the air was filled with a reek like rotten eggs. This time we felt something else washing across the mind elements like a tidal way - a mental scream of pain so terrible it made the hairs in my neck stand erect. Apparently Paradox had succeeded this time. The goddess grinned and reached out with her index finger, holding it right beneath the ring. Then a small flame shot up from her finger and touched the golden ring which was moving slightly. And once again we felt that mental scream of pain and I squeezed Apollo's hand as the terrifying cry seemed to grip for my heart with claws of iron.  
"Doxxie, are you sure about this?" Penthesileia was asking.  
"Never been more sure in my life," the other goddess replied with a grim voice.

"Can you really not perform a kill this way you think?" Ares said. "Inflict a cardiac arrest perhaps."  
"Hardly."  
"Then why..."  
"The point is to hurt Torianus enough so he crawls out of his hole to end it. Then he won't only be exposed, he's going to be vulnerable as well. And in that instance we can strike at him and strike hard. Finishing him. Too bad Hades isn't around. Or we could have used his expertise to kill Torianus from a distance."  
"So why don't we go get him?" Achilles suggested.  
"Too late for that right now," Paradox replied. "Before he'll be here I'd either worn out the ring completely or Torianus would have risen again to end the pain."  
"Hey, wait a minute!" I almost yelled. "If Hades could kill the asshole from a distance, then why this whole venture? Why didn't he just go in here alone and...?"  
"Because then we didn't have this ring, Aidra," Alexander answered. "This was a turn of even no one would've expected. In fact we're quite off target with our plan now and improvising."  
"That happens in war," Ares pointed out.

"So how long will it take before the Titan comes out of his hole?" Phobos asked as Paradox burned the ring once more.  
"Don't know. Depends on how durable he is against pain."  
"Want any more of the acid bubbles?" Ares asked.  
"Yes please," Paradox held out a hand and Ares picked up his red box again and handed her a third plastic bag. After that the God of War placed the box on the ground next to Hekate's daughter saying:  
"Help yourself to the rest! Meanwhile I think I have some other goodies that might interest you as well."

By those words Ares opened up another trouser pocket and took out another plastic back, a semi-transparent zip-locked one. Next he picked up a glove made of the same glowing material as the plastic bags which held the acid orbs and gave it to Paradox.  
"Put it on!"  
"Aye, aye, sir!"  
"Now hold out your hand slightly cupped."

As Paradox did has he said, Ares opened the zip-locked bag and poured some strange, greenish growing shingles in Paradox' hand. Now she looked up at him with awe in her face:  
"Is that what I think it is?"  
"Phlogiston, yes!"  
"Holy shit, Ares have you..." Apollo begun.  
"Yes I have," Ares just glancing at his brother.  
"But don't you know what that matt can do?"  
"Of course I know," Ares almost snarled. "Apollo, in case you haven't noticed we're at war here. And whatever can be a useful mean towards victory _will be used_."

Ares added stress upon all three last words and when Apollo started to protest again, pointing out the hazards with phlogiston, Nike cut him off:  
"He's right you know. We have to take risks sometimes to gain something. Besides this is not Earth. If we corrupt the basic elementary structures of the Atlas Orb we're not risking the same..." Then Nike stopped and made a face against the forceful scream we all heard in our mind as Paradox blew the Phlogiston across the ring and then set it on fire. The green flames licked the ring for almost a minute and meanwhile the tormented outcries continued to rake through our brains.  
"Hasn't he had enough now," Alexander questioned when the horrid shrieks finally stopped and we all had caught our breaths a bit. "I certainly have!"  
"Guy has stamina, we have to give him that at least," Phobos said.  
"Or perhaps he's not understanding what's happening to him," guessed Xantos.  
"He sure does," said Enyo.  
"Then why doesn't he..." Alexander said but cut himself off as Paradox blew another bubble at the ring and the cries of the Titan commenced anew.

Not soon after the first rays of a sun were seen in the east, bright orange like in a postcard. Most of us turned our heads towards the rising sun - and it sure was a sight for sore eyes. I had never seen such a beautiful sunrise in my whole life. There were fluffy little clouds surrounding the orb, they were burning in yellow, orange, pink and gold and the sky was green, purple and blue at the same time. The solar orb was larger than on Earth and seemed brighter yet less blinding.  
"It's magnificent," Penthesileia echoed my thoughts.  
"Sure is," Apollo replied.  
"Why should such beauty be wasted on such cruel beings?" Nike wondered.  
"Well, I guess they simply created an idealized version of Earth," I guessed.  
"Then why couldn't they have stayed here, then?" Hercules huffed.  
"Beats me," Enyo shook her head.

The only one not really looking was Paradox who was still tinkering with her voodoo stuff. She used one more of those acid balls, and once again the monster was screaming in our heads. But this time it didn't feel as terrible as earlier, perhaps it was the rising sun which dampened the terror a bit. Or perhaps it was simply the knowledge that Paradox was wearing the Titan out.  
"Doxxie," I asked. "What do you do if Torianus faints over there or something?"  
"Oh, I just wake him up again," Paradox replied with a grim voice.  
"You're unrelenting," Polemos said with admiration in his deep voice.  
"The asshole killed my little brother," Paradox spat. "Or at least one of his thugs did it! Pherax deserved better than to be murdered by some Titan shitheads!"

"Do what you can," Ares nodded. "We have all the time in the world to exact revenge. Just make sure you talk with Thalassa or Psyche or someone when you get home, right?"  
"Thanks, but I'll be fine, Ar."  
"Do it anyway. One should never underestimate the chance to just sit down and talk to somebody who understands."  
"They have not lost brothers."  
"True, but I have. I talked to Psy, it helped a lot," Ares said. Paradox hummed but didn't reply; she just went on torturing Torianus as the sun rose in the sky.

O0O0O

About twenty minutes later the Titan had had enough. Torianus simply decided that he was taking no more of the pain Paradox was inflicting upon him. The first sign of his conclusion was that the ground shook like nothing I had experienced before. It was nothing like a quake back on Earth. This was more like something which affected you on the mental level as well, it felt like something hard and cruel had hit right in the belly, and I was doubling over, distressed by the hard and deep thump, seeing red blotches dancing in my vision. As I rose again, gasping for breath Apollo was looking at me with worried brows:  
"Are you all right, Aidra?"  
"Never been better," I snorted.  
"This is no joke, this is dangerous." Then he turned and faced our leader:  
"Ares, I suggest some of us get out of here. We, who weren't supposed to be here at all foremost."

"No." Ares hardly turned his head upon replying.  
"But..."  
"Out of the question, no one can't leave now."  
"Why?" Apollo insisted. "Aidra is not well."  
"You heard me! End of discussion." Ares snarled. At the same time I put a hand on Apollo's arm, confirming:  
"I'm fine, dear."  
"You sure?"  
"Yes, don't worry about me, honey."

The next second it was as if the world exploded around us, and this time I lost my grip of Apollo as well as my footing, and before I knew it I tumbled down the slope while geysers of fire burst up out of the ground everywhere and billowing smoke was blinding the sun. I regained control and was soon levitating instead, rising above the fire and the smoke, trying to see where everyone was. Yes, there were Ares, Penthesileia, Xantos, Deimos, Nike and a bit away, I saw Hercules helping Enyo up and Apollo and Alexander were also in the air, armed and looking around for someone to fight. I couldn't see Achilles but I heard him calling out somewhere. Unfortunately I didn't spot Paradox or Kratos anywhere.

"What is happening?" I heard Pollux.  
"That fucker Torianus has finally decided to act," Phobos was calling back. "Luxxie, it's about time to finish this now."  
"Can't agree more, Pho," Pollux was replying. "Let's kick Titan ass!"  
"Okay, everybody regroup!" Ares was bellowing. "Everyone over here on the double!"  
"Coming," Achilles was calling out.  
"Where's Doxxie?" I asked, a bit worried.  
"She's here!" Kratos was heard. "She's still doing that voodoo thing."  
"Don't worry, I'm fine! I'm done soon. Just gonna have that ring!" Paradox replied then and I breathed out with relief as the world continued to turn into an inferno around us.

Then we saw him. Torianus. A gigantic being loaming over the landscape, dwarfing everything else around with his 30 feet. He was coming fast at us, armed with some kind of trident like weapon and a net of iron, like out of some gladiator movie, head covered in a toppy helmet with a visor with blinking leds covering the eyes. On top of that he was growling untellable things, the visible part of his face contorted by rage, pain and madness.  
"That sure is him!" I could hear Alexander call out. "That sure is The Enemy of Mankind! Let's end him now!"  
"Spread out!" Ares called. "Make a semi-circle! Prepare for shielding, if he attacks with the net, trying to snare us, just melt the iron! It's just ordinary iron. And start with the guns on three!"

Ares counted down and then we aimed and shot. But not surprising the bullets didn't bite their target. They were hitting some kind of shielding and ricocheting back, hitting ground, tree trunks and other things around. In return Torianus was aiming that trident, he had obviously understood that Ares was the leader. But as he threw it Ares rushed forward and then turned around fast, lashing out with a whip of magic energy, tearing the giant trident from Torianus. When the Titan lost his weapon it flew in the other direction and crashed to the ground, burying itself among some of these tree trunks the War God had set fire upon earlier.

"Stick together," Ares called at the same time. "Prepare for maneuver C4!"

It took me a few seconds to drag out 'maneuver C4' from my memory. That catalogue of attacks was something Athena had designed before we begun this mission, the C maneuvers were created to use against single giant beasts which were upright-going. Soon we were surrounding the enemy, and instead of guns we took out our swords. Ares had ordered Adamantine to be able to pierce that shield and we took what we had of that matter, mine being a short Roman-inspired blade. On three we attacked again, flowing upward, those behind the beast going first and attacking the Titan's shielding. When Torianus turned, we who had been in front of him attacked from behind instead. Except Hercules and Kratos who dived, severing the Titan's shin tendons. As they did, Torianus stumbled and fell and the next moment his nowadays well known growl of pain mixed with Ares' cry of triumph. The God of War had brought out his Adamantine telescope spear and forced it right through that spooky helmet as if it was made of clay and into the left eye of Torianus.

Quickly Ares retrieved the spear again, to not risk losing it, but not before he had launched some voltage of electricity through it, shortcutting the Titan's brain so the latter almost lost his conscience. Torianus fell, and at the same time he became unable to hold on to his transformation and shrunk to his normal size of 7 feet 5. Now a grinning Nike stepped in with her fearsome Adamantine blade at the ready, with the aim to finally finish off Torianus. But she never got the chance to do that, the Enemy of Mankind still had an ace up his sleeve.

O0O0O

"Back of Ninchen!" Ares called, grabbing Nike in the neck of her jacket, pulling her quickly backwards. "Back off everybody - NOW!" he called as the ground disappeared around us. Most of us jumped up in the air, and I heard curses and screams. What was happening? Was the ground collapsing? No, it was worse than that. The Orb was collapsing! This whole world was literally going down the drain; apparently Torianus had had access to some kind of emergency self-destruct formula which he was deploying now. Beneath us a great chasm into nothingness was opening up, quickly sucking in everything that was The Atlas Orb. Earth, trees, grass, stones, air... water which came rushing in from the sea like a great flood wave. And in the sky that magnificent sun was wobbling, apparently affected as well. Or perhaps it was just a shifting in the air as it was being sucked down the chasm.

"Paradox! Fast - A portal!" Ares called. "We're going out!"  
"Aye Aye!" the goddess replied and started to chant as she struggled to not become affected by the great powers which were sucking all and everything downwards. When I dared a look down I saw what looked like a giant whirl forming beneath us. A whirl gleaming in a terrible melee of flashing lights in shiny colours, constantly changing as everything beneath me was drawn into the deep abyss.  
"What is it?" I heard Enyo. "A black hole?"  
"No, it's worse," Deimos replied. "It's a multidimensional magic wormhole. This may even lead out of the known Multiverse!"  
"That's a certain death!" Phobos replied as he was fighting the forces, pale in his face.  
"Not sure," his brother replied, as he held on to a fainted Alexander. "It might even be more terrible, since your soul won't get the chance to cross the Styx, because you get torn out of the Multiverse."  
"Then what..."  
"A constant fall into eternity."

I paled at that thought, felt shivers travel down my spine. I found myself looking around for Torianus, he was nowhere to be seen, while my comrades were gathering together, holding on to each other, helping each other against the strong forces. Ahead of us all Paradox was chanting with the same fervor as she had performed the voodoo earlier. Soon I saw it - something gray-brown becoming visible in the sky above us. That brown soon changed, became round and distinct - an opening in the space-time. A portal to - wherever. I had the certain feeling that Paradox didn't care where we were going, the only thing that mattered was taking us out of here. Casting one last glance down the vortex that was rapidly killing the Atlas Orb I started flying in the direction of my comrades and the portal. Towards me as well came Pollux, and he was smiling, showing me a thumbs-up sign. Yet the next second his expression changed quickly and he pointed downwards:  
"Aidra!"

In an instant I felt a distinct tug on my left ankle and I felt how I was becoming dragged down instead. And as fear caught in my chest I glanced down - and beheld a large, clawed hand gripping my leg.  
"A consolation price!" Torianus smirked as he began to pull me down with him.  
"Let go!" I screamed in terror, kicked with my leg, tried to make the Titan lose his grip. But he was too strong and unrelenting, he kept on holding, dragging me down with him, his razor sharp claws trying to pierce my ankle and I felt my shielding close against them to protect my skin as the claws pierced the leather of my boot. I kicked again, screamed again, and then I turned upwards!  
"Help! Ares! Apollo! Help me! Help!"

Below Torianus was laughing evilly.  
"I cannot reach the Olympians or the portals they are opening up. I am to be the victim of the vortex I've created. I am to fall eternally trough nothingness. But so are you my dear human."  
"Let Go!"  
"Perhaps we can entertain each other as we fall," Torianus leered. "I'm sure you've never experienced zero g lovemaking, Aidra Mandragore."  
"How... let go! Apollo Help!"  
"Yes I sure know who you are. As soon as I felt the integrity of our well protected Atlas Orb crack yesterday, I knew that there was someone we had forgotten. The 'new' li'l Olympian. Little miss Aidra Mandragore, former police officer and drug fighter. Little miss Aidra Mandragore who ate Ambrosia and who got to join the glorious, deathless gods for a short while. Little miss Aidra Mandragore who got to love the mighty Apollo for a while. But it's all over now! Say farewell to that life now, little miss Aidra Mandragore!"

"Please, let go!" I cried. Then I called again for Apollo and Ares. But as I looked up I saw that my friends had begun to pass through the portal, and no one was coming for me. They simply couldn't. The pull from the vortex was too strong now.  
"Apollo!" I cried one last time, and as I saw my beloved step through the portal as one of the last gods, he turned and called out:  
"Aidra, I'm sorry!" After that I saw Hercules' gloved hand grab Apollo's arm and pull him inside of the portal. Then it was closing against the Olympians while I cried myself hoarse for them - for anyone to come and help me.

Beneath me I heard Torianus' scornful voice:  
"They never did care about you that much after all, the mighty Olympians. Not even Apollo whose love you thought you had. You were just useful for them for a short time."


	33. Vortex

**Vortex**

As we fell I was choking upon tears, the portal above me was now completely gone, not even a brown stain remained in the blue of the sky above. Instead the colour of the heaven was shifting, darkening and I realized it was because of all the air was being sucked into the vortex below as well. Sucked down together with Torianus and me, sucked down into a whirlpool which would make us both fall into eternity - fall fall fall without ever landing. I could hardly imagine anything more horrid. Yet I was still not giving up. That was one thing I had learned from Ares, already back in the days when I knew him just as police officer Mark Harris. To never quit. To always keep on fighting even if there was just the slightest chance of success. So many times had he told us that, and so many times had he been right. Even if the odds appeared all against you something could turn up to change everything. Although I failed to see what could happen now to change the faith we were both falling fast toward. Me and the Titan Torianus, the Enemy of Mankind.

We were falling fast, surrounded by a torrent of earth, stones, tree trunks - and there were heavy things hitting against my shielding, making me realize that if I had been mortal I'd be lucky to die here and now and let lose my soul, have it falling towards and across the Styx instead. Or perhaps not, perhaps this vortex was so powerful that it took dead souls with it as well. On the other hand as a mortal I would never have gotten here in the first time. I had still been back on Earth as a lucky ignorant.

Soon we were on level with the vortex and now our drop became faster as the forces of the mighty, multidimensional commotion got stronger. With that came an increasing of the deafening noise of the whirlpool, like a great waterfall combined with a thunder that never stopped. Torianus was still holding on to my boot, laughing loudly and scorning me over the racket:  
"Those Olympian gods you know," he was laughing, "they never did care about little miss Aidra Mandragore. When you had served your purpose as a gate opener to our home they were more than happy to let you go. After all you were never a real goddess. You were not of true Olympian blood. You were just an outsider. A freak. An accident of nature. Someone who didn't fit in. But who could be useful for a while - as cannon fodder. That was why they kept you around."  
"That's not true!" I yelled. "Apollo loves me!"  
"Oh he does not. The only one the mighty Sun God has ever loved is himself."

"It's. Not. True!" I called back. But inside of me I was beginning to have doubts. I was beginning to wonder if Torianus was not right after all. The gods had all left trough that portal, not bothering to help me. Not even Apollo. I could still hear his pathetic 'I'm sorry' ring in my ears. He hadn't even tried!

"You know it's true," Torianus was scorning, nourishing my doubt. "They never did care. The Olympians have never cared, no matter what they say. They are just a persuasive bunch of conceited narcissists, content with making a comfy world for themselves, not really caring about other beings. Not Titans, Elementars, Elves – not even human mortals. That was just propaganda! After all they were in their might to stop..."  
"Shut up!" I cried out in despair, felt how the air was becoming sparse as I tried to inhale after my yell. What if Torianus was right after all. What if the Olympians...

O0O0O

Then suddenly the powers shifted and we became slammed into the wall of the vortex with such a force that I almost lost my breath. Without thinking my hands found leverage in that sticky, warm and pulsating material which apparently was the vortex walls. I don't know why I had expected them to be immaterial or at least made out of gas. But it felt more like I was gripping into some kind of congealing goo. Something organic. Yucky, but I couldn't care less, this was all about grasping that little grain of hope to save my poor condemned soul. And I became helped along by the centrifugal force which kept me more or less glued to the side of the spinning whirlpool. Me and the Titan freak!  
"You think you can do that?" the Titan holding on to my leg kept scorning. "Then you're even more stupid than I thought."  
"Shut up already, asshole!" I snarled back without as much as looking down. I was too preoccupied with hanging on for dear life in that goo. Still Mr. Awful kept on clawing into my booth and that made me even madder than before. Now when I had a chance, no matter how small, to get out, I didn't want to have that ballast hanging on to me.

As I lashed out with my feet in anger, I felt something happening. I felt the lacings of my left boot start to untie. That gave me an idea. Quickly I helped along telekinetically, untying the knot of the laces, and as that one came lose I kicked again, and managed to kick off my boot - and the fiend which was holding on to it as well. With a stream of words I didn't understand, but which I was quite sure were profanities of the worst kind, Torianus lost his grip around my ankle and begun sliding down across the slippery wall of the vortex. But he had managed to find some leverage as well, a bit below me, and now I heard some sucking sounds as he apparently too was gripping the goo with greedy hands.  
"So you managed to do that, Mandragore," he was calling out. "Perhaps I should be impressed. At least a little. What do you think?"

Still without turning my head I told him to stick his probable impression into a certain body orifice. Then I began battling the vortex wall. While digging my right foot, the one still booted into the goo of the vortex wall, I hesitantly let go of my left hand, fearing that I would be taken by the centrifugal force, losing my flimsy grip and start sliding down again, now when I was not holding on with both my hands. But I managed. I reached up with my left arm and grabbed for leverage higher up.  
"Keep calm and climb on!" I ordered myself silently. Below me I could hear Torianus:  
"So that's the way to do it. Perhaps I can reach you, Mandragore."

I groaned in reply, still with my eyes upon the gleaming and ever changing wall of goo in front of me, and upon my left hand which once again dug itself into the goo, gripping and steadying itself. As I slowly began pulling myself upwards I became aware of a change. Earlier there had been no gravity around me, but this time I got the distinct impression that I was lying flat on my belly and fighting myself forwards. Behind me I heard the freak do the same thing. Shit! And he kept on talking as well.  
"Yes, Mandragore, I can do it! I'm coming now as well. But don't expect me to show you any gratitude. You are after all just a petty little human, no matter how good at climbing you are. And I can't let you remain around as I go after the Olympians again to exact revenge. No, I'm going to pull you down and send you falling alone instead. How about that, little Miss Mandragore?"  
"Why don't you just zip your ugly lips, you big, fat purse of fecal?" I replied as I let go of the goo with my right hand and reached 'up/forwards' to get a new grip and pull me yet another twelve inch ahead, into the other direction from the eternity which was opening up behind.  
"Oh, oh, oh," Torianus was laughing. "She's feisty the little human."

I decided to pay him no mind. Instead I repeated the antic with my left hand, pulling me ahead once more. It was then I heard it. A voice in my mind, a voice that brought tears in my eyes and blurred the colourful wall in front of my eyes. The voice of Ares, the things he used to say:

_Don't give up_, that voice was whispering in my mind. _Don't give up, Aidra, you can do it! You got it! You have it going for you, girl, don't give up. Keep on fighting. The small steps. You know it – how it works – that it works! One hand at a time. Twelve inch at a time, sweetheart. That's the way to do it, the victory of the small steps_.

Ares!

Sure, I knew it was not Ares. It was just a fidget of my imagination, a small part of me encouraging me along, using the well-known voice of Ares. Nevertheless it was still heartening. _Don't give up, Aidra, you can do it! One small pull at the time, and use your feet as well. Yes, the bare one too. There's no risk, just shield well. Just as you do with your hands. Now relax, Aidra, take a deep breath and make the same movement all over again with your right arm. And go!_

"What about Torianus?" I asked 'Ares' in my mind._ Don't worry about him. He's far behind. He can't get you!_ It was then I turned around, something I shouldn't have. Because the Titan was closer to me than I thought. As I met his ice cold gray-yellow eyes he laughed out in triumph and heaved himself up towards me. Since he was so much taller and stronger he was able to reach me with just two more pulls. Then he had grabbed me around my waist and tried to pull me off the wall of the vortex. And I yelled and kicked but Torianus was just laughing at me.  
"Little miss Aidra Mandragore, enjoy your fall!" He smirked as he pulled me lose from the goo with a forceful move.

But this time it was I who grabbed his leg instead, and no matter how much he kicked I didn't let go, but hung on for dear life. Literally! Still I knew that it was just a matter of time before he managed to kick me off since I didn't hold a percentage of the Titan's strength and stamina.

It was then I heard the voice again. _The knife, Aidra. Use the knife!_

In an instance I knew what knife he meant. The Adamantine dagger I had hanging from my utility belt. While holding on to the Titan's leg with my right arm, I reached around my waist with the left arm and pulled out the knife. No matter that I was right handed, I had learned well to use the left one too and with a forceful stroke I lashed upwards, between the Titan's leg, aiming for a certain member. I'm not sure I really hit that one with my forceful slice but it was quite enough to injure Torianus anyhow.

As the Adamantine hit flesh Torianus was crying out almost as fearsome as when Paradox had performed her voodoo upon him. Now the Titan lost his grip of the vortex wall as I in turn threw myself at the wall and buried both my hands almost up to the elbows in the goo, still gripping my knife with the left hand. And from above hot, purplish Titan blood came flooding down and almost completely burying me!  
"Bitch!" Torianus was calling out together with some other derogative I didn't understand, I only recognized them because I had heard them from Titans earlier. The next second I saw him slid by me, realizing that he had lost his grip upon the vortex wall when I had dismembered him. Now the blood was flooding between his leg and there was rage in his scary eyes when he passed me by where I sat with my hands still buried in the goo. At that moment the buildup of anger exploded in my chest and I kicked out with my booted right leg and as it impacted with the Titan's right shoulder he lost the little grip he had of the vortex wall and with a scream of terror he fell down into nothingness.

I in turn leaned my head against the vortex wall and cried uncontrollable.

For the first time it hit me that I didn't know what I was going to do if I managed to reach the top of the vortex. I didn't know how to leave what was left of the Atlas Orb. I had no clue how to open a portal to get out. And even if I had, I didn't know where that one would take me. Even if I did somehow manage to escape this dying world, my faith would probably be to walk endlessly through the Multiverse, trying to find my way home again. Which was probably way harder than locating the proverbial needle in the haystack.

Then I once more heard Ares' voice in my head whispering another of his wisdoms. _Why worry about what lies further ahead when you have more imminent problems to deal with? Aidra, first of all you have to leave the vicinity of the vortex. After all you can't stay hanging off the walls of the whirlpool forever, you'll have to get up. _  
"Thanks for the advice," I mumbled, sheeted my Adamantine dagger again and began climbing up the walls for a second time. One more time I heard Ares' encouraging words in my head about just keeping on, about climbing with one move at a time, about inexorably repeating my motions over and over again while tears of despair streamed down my burning cheeks.

Obediently I kept on climbing, slithering myself up against the sticky surface, not daring to lift my head and check how far it was to go, since I feared that the distance would be too long and that it would discourage me. Instead I kept my eyes locked upon the colourful walls as I ascended. Yet after what felt like an eternity but which my internal clock kept telling me was just about an hour later, I started to feel my powers weakening, my arms and legs going numb and faltering. I felt my eyes ache after having looked into this miasma of light and colours for such a long time and that the goo on my fingers had started to thicken, dry and crackle around the joints, making it harder to grip and hold on. And that my bare foot was starting to feel like it was being frozen as well.  
"Ares," I whispered to the imaginary voice in my head. "Ares, I'm not so sure I can do this anymore."

_Aidra, consider the alternative, _the voice in my head told me off._ That would be plunging down in that hole again, and then falling forever. You haven't forgotten about that, right?_  
"I know, I know," I gasped. Then I grinded my teeth together and kept on going. Kept on dragging myself upwards/forwards alongside that sticky, gory side of the vortex, doing my best to keep ignoring the nausea caused by the spinning vortex and the pain caused by my tired muscles.

_Aidra, _Ares was urging me on_, Aidra, you have hidden reserves of strength within you, have you forgotten about those? Have you forgotten what's concealed in the hollow beneath your belly? Right beneath your root chakra? Aidra, it's there, the very power you need. The Kundalini! Call upon that, because you're in due need for it now. Call upon the Kundalini, it can tap the whirling vortex of power for you and help you use it instead._

"Ares... how do I do that?" I asked in despair, scared that the War God or my sub consciousness or whoever it was talking to me would not be able to help me remember. Because I did remember about the Kundalini, that was one thing Hekate had taught me already during my first month as an immortal. But she had also said that it was a powerful tool and not to be used casually, but something to save for special occasions. But if this wasn't a special occasion I didn't know what was. Yet how...  
"Ares... please..." I whispered out in the empty nothingness.

_Aidra, relax. Now listen to me! And do exactly as I say!_ the voice was telling me._ Reach inside of your belly and try to feel a little stirring sensation of power there. It's like a little snaking sparkle. A glow-worm. Now, can you feel it?_  
"Yes yes," I whimpered. _Then I want you to grab at that power line and pull, pull - no, don't lose concentration on holding on to the vortex wall, just pull instead. And climb. Pull, pull, that's right. That's the way to do it! You got it Aidra! Now let that little tendril of power become a mighty river which flushes through your system and readies you for a new burst of effort!_

When I did as 'Ares' told I could feel how this little trickle indeed was becoming a river. A river of amazing and powerful light which spread through my system like wild fire and infused me with new energy and courage. Like a sugar rush but without the sticky tiredness that came almost immediately afterwards. I could do this, I felt it now. For the first time I looked up, gazed at the rim of the vortex crater. It wasn't as far ahead as I had feared, I had actually come quite a bit on the way during this hour. Now all I had to do was keep on going, keep on listening to that blessed voice in my head that encouraged me to go on. To keep climbing. In that moment I finally felt like I could do this. That I could get up and climb out of the vortex on my own. Thus I forced myself to not think of the next step.

_Keep going, Aidra, only one small effort now_, Ares kept telling me. A_lmost there, Aidra, almost there. Don't relax now though, there's still some things need to be done._  
"Yes, yes, Ares, thank you dearest, I'm almost there!"  
"Yes, you're magnificent, Aidra!" Now it almost felt as if I was hearing the war god actually talking to me over the deafening noise of the vortex. Was I going mad? Perhaps. But if that was the case I couldn't care less at the moment. Everything was already mad around me anyway.  
"Thank you Ares," I called back, right out in the air. "Thank you, Ares, I'm coming now."

Then, when I was almost at the rim I felt the pain again, as the Kundalini force faded. A pain that hit me as a bolt, reverberating through my whole body and it felt almost as if I was losing my grip.  
"Nooo," I called out as I struggled to retain my grip on the goo. "Not now, when I am so close."  
"Aidra, Aidra, sweetie reach out with a hand now!"  
"Ares?"  
"Reach out! A little bit more, just a little bit more,"  
"I'm falling," I whimpered as I felt myself starting to slide instead, tasted salty tears with my tongue.  
"Aidra please! Just a tiny tiny effort and it'll all be fine."  
"Ares..." I reached out again, struggling with all of my might to take hold on something... and then there was someone taking a hold of my wrist instead, pulling me upwards. Ares? Was it really...  
"Ares? You there?"

"I got you! You'll be okay!" A strong arm was pulling me upwards and then another arm got a grip around my torso. Then we fell in the other direction, fell again into another hole but not very deep, we crashed against something hard and slid forwards, and most of all we fell away from the vortex. And I was looking right into a well-known face, into dark brown eyes which were smiling at me. Tired, worried - but happy. Ares! Then the God of War was quickly levitating us away from the vortex, into relative safety. It was dark around us, apparently night had fallen again. Had I spent a whole day in that damn hole? It sure felt like that anyway.  
"Ares," I cried and faced him as he held on to me with his strong arms. "Ares, you came for me!"  
"Why, of course I did. Aidra, how could I possible leave you here, letting you fall out of this multiverse and into endlessness with that Titan monster?"  
"I... you... All left and... but you came for me!"  
"I'm Olympian you know, and an Olympian never abandons another Olympian!"  
"Ares – thank you!"  
"So, so, don't cry now, sweetheart. Sure I came for you, but most of all you came for yourself, my brave Aidra."

That was the oddest of things, Ares said that last thing in a way which made it almost sound dirty. So in spite of everything I found myself giggling. When Ares smiled back I knew it was a little bit of encouraging therapy he was feeding me.  
"Now Aidra, we're out of here!" he said as I realized that I was in free fall again. First I got terrified, believing that we somehow were falling through the vortex in spite. But then I saw that what I had interpreted as nightfall was actually open space. We were out among the stars, and thus in natural zero gravity. Below me I saw the last pieces of this world's 'Earth' disappear down that hole, the yellow moon soon travelling after.  
"Is this whole place going under?" I asked Ares as I held on to him, my tired head resting on his brawny shoulder.  
"No, but I think this solar system is lost at least. But the magic which created the vortex has soon worn out, and since nature in most parts of the Multiverse strive towards equilibrium this vortex will close down and this universe will return to normal. Whatever that is."

"And we?"  
"We're going home, Aidra."

O0O0O

Ares had opened up a portal and helped me through, since I was still too weak to manage on my own. The next moment we were walking on something soft, mossy while a faint, purple glow was shining above us. I soon realized that my legs weren't carrying me, they were too wobbly since I was worn out after having struggled for so long with that horrible vortex. So I sank down in that mossy surface as the portal closed behind us, felt its damp softness against my palms and my knees. Then I looked up at the god who had saved me, saw how he made one last gesture to seal the time-space again. Although he was standing erect there was something tired over his shoulder and gestures as well.  
"Ares, where are we?" I asked as I looked around.  
"Fuck!" the God of War spat.  
"What?"  
"I made a mistake when I opened up this portal. I had planned for us to go to Meledhjad. But this is definitely not Meledhjad."  
"Okay. And what exactly does that mean?" I asked as I was looking around, taking in impressions of a place with rolling hills made of this moss, quite a few standing moonlit-like things rising from the ground at random places and above us hung a star strewn sky with a tiny and weak sun shining in front of us, barely managing to lit up this stark and desolate place.

"It means that we're lost, Aidra." Ares sighed and then he sat down next to me. "I have no clue where we are, and therefore I don't know how to continue. If we had ended up in a dessert, similar to Nevada but with blue sand I had known we were in the right place. But this..."  
"It's okay, Ar." I took his hand. "We can make it. Together we can. And at least it's an improvement from being in a damn vortex."  
"Sure is," Ares smiled as he pulled me closer. "Sure is. In any case I guess we both can need some rest now. We're both tired. Perhaps we'll figure something out tomorrow. Or whatever we should call it."  
"Good idea," I said and leaned against his firm torso. While he held me I felt salty tears sting my eyes again. But now it was tears of joy and safety. It felt so much better just to have my friend here. To know I was not alone, even if I was so incredibly far from home.

O0O0O

I had dreams during that sleep. First there were terrible ones, of mean Titans and swirling vortexes. Then they cooled down and changed, became more tranquil, more pleasant. I dreamt that I was back home again. And not home as in New York but home in Olympos. In that new home which looked like a tiny Greek shrine on the outside but was a mansion on the inside. In my dream I was lying in a large four poster bed and next to me laid my beloved. But it was not Apollo, it was Ares who I had just made the most magnificent love with. He was smiling and saying something with the context of 'I told you so'. In return I found myself just laughing and holding on to him and at that moment everything felt so fine.

O0O0O

Later I woke up with no sense of how long I had been sleeping, but there was something huge and blue blinding me, and when I opened my eyes I was looking right into a cobalt blue sun! This place with the purple little sun had a large blue one as well. Obviously we had arrived at night time earlier. Looking around I saw that the purple sun was still in the sky, but sitting almost at the horizon, looking like nothing but a very bright lantern. Those monolith things I had thought were stones had actually been some kind of buds which now had opened up into large, black flowers, drinking in the light of the blue sun. Turning again I spotted Ares who was sitting squatted with a notepad in his hand, tapping away at the little keyboard with furrowed brows.  
"Hi!" I said and he looked up and met my glance.  
"Morn' sleepyhead. Or perhaps I say good afternoon since that blue sun has already passed the noon point. It revolves fast this little world. Care for some water and ration bars?"  
"Oh, what a luxury breakfast, honey!"

"Aidra," Ares smiled gently, while I stretched my arms over my head. "When we get out of this and back home I promise you a breakfast at Tiffany's. But first I have to figure out how to get us home."  
"Can you do that?"  
"Yes, I've been doing some calculations based upon some equations Athena gave me before I went to get you. There are some basic variations I'm checking out now which might give us a hint upon returning home."  
"Like what?"  
"The variations in pi and the total angle degree of a triangle."  
"Huh? I always thought those were fixed values."  
"They are - in our universe. But between sub universes they can vary. As can the speed of light and other constants. Those deviations can be used to navigate through the multiverse even if you don't have the magic means to do so. It's a bit rougher but it works. Like navigating after the stars after having gotten used to a GPS."

I reached out for Ares' backpack and retrieved a water bottle and two ration bars and then I enjoyed my own 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' while Ares continued to calculate.  
"Pi is almost down to 3 here while the angle degree for a triangle is 92. This means that we're rather far from home and that we cannot count on getting back through a single portal. Or even of Hades to find us in a jiffy," Ares said as he reached for the water bottle. I handed it to him and he almost finished it in two heavy drags. Then he told me not to worry, there were good, clean H2O to be find on this world as well. I tilted my head and just smiled and then I let him continue his work for a while before it was time for the next question:  
"Was it really you who talked me through the vortex?"  
"Sure it was," he said as he looked up again. "All the way through, Aidra. Since you sure needed it. Because no matter how strong and enduring you are, how strong and enduring you've always been, you had lost faith at that moment. You felt rejected and abandoned because of the lies Torianus had fed you. I had to give faith back to you. Thus I talked you through it. Gave you all encourage I had to give."

"Ares, I really don't know how to thank you for all this. But at the same time I feel like - why... I mean why you? Apollo just left and I..."  
"Forget Apollo for the moment," Ares almost spat. "There was a reason for me to come."  
"Sure but..."  
"Aidra hear me out, this is no piece of cake," the war good said and lowered his note book while locking my eyes with his. "Aidra, ever since I held you that night almost a year ago after your first battle in Connecticut, when I kissed you that night, I have been in love with you. I kept telling myself that it was just an infatuation, of the kind which usually fades. But my romancing for you never did. When you got together with Apollo I felt like slamming my head right into the Empire State Building, just because I've been so stupid and didn't act upon my instincts. Aidra, whatever you might have thought about grumpy old me over the year, I've been madly in love with you and there hasn't been a day when I've dreamt that you would drop that sun god and all his goddamn music and poofy gallantry. That was why I came for you when nobody else dared. So! Now it's said. Make out of it what you like!"

Then he returned to his calculations, but I was not letting him off the hook that easy.  
"Ares!" I said and brushed the crumbles of my worn and dirty jacket. "Ares, look at me!" Then I angled myself up to him and reached out for his chin and took it gently:  
"Listen, Ares," I began. "I always thought... or affair was over and... Apollo was so direct with what he wanted. Then he wanted me to leave your group. And you were so mad all the time. First now am I beginning understand. You wanted me back and he - he understood it. He tried to prevent that from happening. And so... this might sound like thickheaded, but I blame inexperience. I've never had two men courting me and fighting over me. No less two gods. It's all a - novelty to me. And I still can't see why guys you do it. I'm really not that special."

"Dearest, believe me!" Now Ares looked up and finally put away that computer. Instead he took me in his arms and looked at me with such serious and sad eyes that I felt like crying as well. "Believe me, love doesn't explain itself. It just happens. And when it does, what you must do is go along - flow with the current - or you'll end up cast ashore. Heartbroken and destroyed. And I - I just couldn't stand losing you. Especially not to such a terrible fate. Then I'd rather see you every day in the arms of Apollo. Because if seeing you is what I have to be content with then so be it. Now, Aidra, I think I've found our way home, so let's..."

"You're not getting away that easy. You came for me. That's... I can't even begin to express what it makes me feel here inside right now, but that's the greatest and finest thing anyone has ever done for me. You risked not only your life but your soul as well by returning to the Atlas Orb and the vortex, while no one else did. And right now I feel..." I stared deep into those dark and magnificent eyes, "you came for me when no one else dared. Not even Apollo who had declared me his love. And right now I'm back in the vortex - it's there - in my heart!


	34. Deus ex machina

**34. Deus ex machina**

_**Don't Include me out** lyrics by Klas Frans Ahlund and Miriam 'Robyn' Carlson_

When Ares and I finally rested that day we had opened up twelve portals in random directions. Not everyone taking us closer to home, but in our trial and error way we were slowly but steadily getting there. At least according to Ares' calculations. Pi was a little bit closer to 3.1416whatever and the triangle degree was now 90.5. A bit closer than when we had started out at least.  
"That sure were some different places," I sighed as we sat down in a crumbled old ruin of a lost civilization on a world almost covered in water and where the heat from the terrible large sun was making us soaked with sweat in spite of our shielding.  
"Yes, and it was almost fun in certain places. I had really wanted to stay a while in that world where it felt like we were right in the middle of the crusades. With Amazons."  
"Yes, you sure learned fast to handle those wicked curved double blades. I'm impressed."  
"Actually it was mostly a question of the famous element of surprise. They were so surprised that a pink man could handle a blade, those indigo damsels, that they almost forgot to fight back."

"Penthesileia'd love that place! You think we can make it back there?"  
"Sure, I've written down the multi-coordinates."  
"But that place with the horrid gases I think we can do without."  
"Yes, certainly. My poor nose is still writhing at the memory."  
"Then there's that place where I got my new shoes," I said, looking down at the avant-garde neon yellow slightly-reminding-of-sneakers platform contraptions I was wearing.  
"Oh, the Wal-Marth's meets Arabian Market meets Portobello Road. I should've imagined. What is it with women and shopping?"

Giggling at that I felt my glee turn into a yawn:  
"You sure you don't want to try another portal. I don't think I can sleep in this heat and the bright light no matter how hard I try."  
"Perhaps we can go inside," Ares indicated that half-crumbled building which we were leaning against.  
"Really! Well it was nicer to sleep on the moss of that planet with the black flowers."  
"I agree fully. But sometimes you have to be content with what you find."  
"I'm not sure what to make of that," I teased lightly and Ares grinned and held out his hands.  
"I've slept in trenches and in prison cells. I've been spending nights in Siberia where it was so cold that when you took a leak the pee was frozen when it hit the ground. And I've slept in a jeep in the jungle where you sometimes wake up finding a snake in the sleeping bag."  
"Eurgh!"  
"Yes, then a ruin on some long forgotten water planet cannot be that bad. And you, sweet princess, may rest your head upon my torso if you'd fancy that."

"Oh, you're such a gentleman," I laughed. "Then let's go to bed." With those words I stood and walked over to what was left of a metal railing. The corroded structure was manufactured in intricate swirls and bends and I was convinced that it once had been very beautiful. There were tiny rests of something golden upon the rusty metal and forms which looked like leaves, stars and fishes. I wondered who they had been, those beings having lived here once and making those objects. And what became of them. Had they too ran out of souls by crazy immortality schemes? Had there been a devastating war or perhaps a natural disaster? Perhaps there was a flood that killed their civilization? It was possible since the entire planet was almost nothing but water surface.

As I continued my exploration around that railing I noted swirls where there were patterns of what might have been writings. That remained me of the world 'Suufar', which we had passed through almost right before we got to the Atlas orb. Was it just three days ago? I returned to my discarded utility belt and took out paper and a pencil and then I laid the paper over the scribbling and rubbed the pencil across to somewhat copy what I thought were writings. When Ares came over and stood behind me, asking what I did, I explained my theory.  
"This world might've been connected to 'Suufar'. Those patterns are reminiscent of what I saw there. And they remind me of writing. Perhaps there has been some kind of relationship between these two civilizations."  
"Yeah, it might be possible," Ares nodded. "I'm only surprised that no one else has ever seen those writings."  
"Perhaps they haven't been looking. And wasn't it Marc Harris who always advocated bringing in some new cops when we had got stuck in a case. Because new eyes saw things better than old worn ones."

"You're right, Aidra," Ares laughed. "At least my eyes are tired after all those calculations and portal experiments. You see, I'm a war god, not a mage."  
"You're doing fine nevertheless." I smiled and then I pinched him lightly in the waist. Ares responded by grabbing my ankles and the next thing he was kissing me. Rather chaste but still suggestive. At that stimulus the memories of my dream that night came flooding back. There was this whirlpool in my heart, this vortex, this insecurity which made me withdraw.  
"Ares," I said. "Not yet. I'm not sure... what I want..."  
"It's okay," the god of war replied. "We got all the time in the world."

O0O0O

Ares was soon to sleep that night, but I laid awake going over the events of last days. Sure, I did suffer from some post dramatic stress disorder from that whirlpool event. Those energies in the vortex were still haunting me when I closed my eyes. But that wasn't all. Again and again was I seeing Apollo leave trough that portal. That he had been pulled out by Hercules mattered little. And again and again was I seeing Ares' face when he had dragged me out of the vortex. His eyes. I hadn't recognized it then because I had been so shaken, but they had held all the love in the world. Ares loved me! He had come for me when everyone else had just turned their divine backs and ran away to save their sorry asses. He had risked so much, just to see me safely out of that vortex, not even knowing if it was possible to save me.

On the other hand - Apollo... There where all those memories, all those fantastic moments we had shared. Our walks in Paris, our explorations of Manhattan, those wonderful days in his Rhode Island cottage. Those songs he had written, him and me together in fact. Our songs. Our summer! Our plans for the future. Those things we had figured out we wanted to do, everything from returning to Stockholm for more pancakes to diving in the Barrier Reef. Me coming along on a Solinvictus tour. Or just spend time relaxing at Olympia, hanging with our friends and talking, laughing. Our lovemaking which had been so breathtaking and so real, so intimate. I was not sure I could experience such closeness with Ares, he seemed more of the hot and eager Alfa male type who put his own desires in the first room. When I had made love to him earlier, he hadn't been half as tender and considerate as Apollo always was. There was a difference between fingers used to hold a gun and fingers used to hold a guitar. I sighed, looked through the cracks in the wall at that gargantuan sun which had finally begun to set, but without colouring the sky pink or itself orange.

O0O0O

The next day we set out again, trying to find worlds where pi and the rest of the values were just like at home. Finally, after having opened up seven portals we finally struck gold! From a cold and icy world with a reddish, overcast sky and a horrid smell we had opened up a portal in a direction Ares was considering promising - I was getting better at this too now!. Through that portal did we walk right out into a place which was even hotter than that water world where we had spent our night. It was a dessert place with pebbly sand coloured roughly like washed out denim. It was Meledhjad - the place which Ares had tried to reach from the Atlas Orb when he had saved me. That discovery made us dance around and shout out our delight, behaving like two drunken loonies. After a while, when we had calmed down a bit, we both looked at each other and made faces, hoping that no sentient being had seen us. At least no sentient being which was able to interpret our behaviour as totally crazy.

"Now all we have to do is using the path Athena and Paradox made me before I went for you," Ares said. Then he was doodling a bit with the notepad, calling up a document about the four more portals to open before we were home.  
"Oh, Ares," I gasped, hardly even bothering with looking around at the world called Meledhjad. "I can't wait to get home. You know, the novelty of always getting to one strange place after the other finally wears off. I'm tired of singing and chiming, purplish luminescent and psychedelic mushrooms and rhino like beings who talks about liquid gods living between the universes while smoke comes out from their nostrils. Not to mention gray, flabby flesh-eating vegetables mistaking us for lunch and nibbling at my backside. I want to go home to Earth now and have a burger and a beer. And sleep between sheets in a regular bed. So I hope we don't run into any more ordeals now."  
"Me too, Aidra, me too," my co-traveler confirmed and then he began to open that portal which eventually would take us home.

O0O0O

We arrived home with a crash. Paradox had designed the last portal to make us turn up on the grass plain right in the middle of Zeus and Hera's atrium some five minutes after the others had returned. What Doxxie hadn't counted on - and returned home too late to warn about, was that someone might have had put something in the way. So when opening the very last portal we were both in such a hurry to finish all this that we didn't notice that something became pushed aside by the magic forces we created. Therefore we stumbled right over a huge object to the sound of a remarkable racket. Both Ares and I tripped and fell forwards among broken glass and flowing liquids, our hands shielding for sharp shards.

The next moment we heard the familiar voice of Zeus booming above us:  
"Now, now, now! What do we have here? Deus ex machina! And two of them as well. Come here, guys and check out who decided to launch their portal right in the mobile liquor fridge!"  
"I'm sorry," was all I could think of as I gratefully accepted the held out hand at me, letting the king of the gods pull me up on my feet and out of my misery. All those witty replies you were supposed to have in handy for an event like this were totally lost from my head.  
"You're sorry," Zeus was laughing as Ares was rising next to me, brushing splinters and dirt from his already ruined pants. "You're sorry for bravely going in there and not only opening up a portal to the Atlas orb but also killing the Enemy of Mankind all by yourself. You're sorry for that! Aidra dearest, give me a break!"  
"Zeus, I..." I began and then I blushed and smiled since the rest of our comrades together with quite a few other Olympians were gathered around us now, cheering, laughing and clapping their hands. Above all hubbub a few voices were screaming:  
"What happened?"  
"How did you do it?"  
"Is the motherfucker dead?"

Ares was a bit more ready with his witty comments because he called back:  
"Aidra castrated the bastard and kicked him down the drain. Then we had a bit of sightseeing before we returned home."  
"Oh, come on!" Androkles protested from somewhere.  
"It's true!" I answered. "Well sort of at least."  
"You're just pouting because you couldn't come," Phobos called back.  
"What do you mean 'sort of?'" Artemis wanted to know.  
He's not really dead, since he's falling through eternity," I said.  
"Unfortunately for him, he didn't get the chance to die," Ares added. "And now his soul cannot leave him because he's outside of the natural laws of the Multiverse."  
"Was it scary? That vortex thing?" Thalassa asked.  
"No it was a walk in the park - well honestly yes it was," I admitted. "When I hung there and expected to fall down any moment, and then just keep on falling into the end of time - that was scary beyond imagination."

"Oh, poor thing, come here!" Hera came walking over the grass and took me in her arms and hugged me hard. That was when the tears begun to flow. I just couldn't stop bawling. I was so totally shaken. It seemed that now, when I was safe home, I finally understood the complete horror of the event. I knew these things could happen, as a police woman I had seen it many times before. How people react when the adrenaline wears off, the post dramatic stress disorder - it can come as a flashback long afterwards.

Hera knew it too, she had seen plenty of those cases during her 4500 years on this Earth. Among gods as well as humans. So she just kept on holding on to me while talking softly and gently to me. A bit away Ares was telling the story of the vortex for each and every one who wanted to listen. I was glad he did since I could not possibly be a narrator at the moment. All was just tears and shivers and I was relieved that Hera was there for the moment, holding me. Now, beyond the fear and the tears something else began. An anger over the injustice with which the myths had treated this goddess. She was the kindest and sweetest you could imagine and at the same time she understood exactly what was needed. When she knew I was 'done' she let go without any further questions than making sure I was all right.  
"If you need to talk, you know where to find me," she said in the gentlest of voices, lightly touching my shoulder. Nodding my head in response, I replied with grateful silence.

I had hardly taken two steps away when Apollo came striding towards me - and at the sight of him my first desire was to run in his outstretched arms. But... Behind him was Ares. There was something in his face, he had stopped narrating and was intensely staring at the two of us, pain and love in those dark eyes.  
"Aidra, I'm so glad you're all right, dearest." Apollo exclaimed, beaming like only the god of the sun can. But I took two hesitant steps back, once again feeling the vortex spinning in my heart.  
"Not because of you I am," I said in a little voice, and it felt like I had all the eyes of Olympia upon me at the moment, like all the talk died down and everybody was watching us.

"But Aidra, I wish with all my heart I could have been the one to help you back. But I'm simply not made of that material. I'm no war god. I'm..."  
"Fine, but please, not now, Apollo." I said and avoided the hand reaching for me.  
"Why not now. I just want to hold you."  
"And I do not want to be held at the moment."  
"What did he do to you?" Apollo then snarled and it was clear as a day who 'he' was at that moment. Now Hera stepped in again:

"You heard her, Apollo, leave Aidra alone."  
"Hera, stay out of this," Apollo held up his hand against his stepmother, glancing towards her displeased face, slightly distracted. That was all I needed and I spun around, away from both Apollo and Ares' stares, crossed the lawn with several steps in the opposite direction and ducked in among Hekate, Paradox and Penthesileia who were standing together sipping on white wine and talking.  
"I can't take this anymore," I said and gripped Penthesileia's arm. "I think I'm gonna flip!"  
"Don't," the amazon replied in a common sense voice. "We'll protect you."  
"What happened back there?" Paradox asked. "Did Ares..."  
"He came for me." I felt the tears again but forced them back. "He said he loves me."  
"He does!" Paradox said and Hekate was shaking her head:  
"Aidra don't..."  
"Dad! What have you done now?" Penthesileia said at the same time, clearly embarrassed, hiding her face in her hands, spilling white wine on the ground as she went.

"Ares is not capable of loving that way," Hekate stated and held her glass so hard her fingers whitened.  
"Is that so?" I asked.  
"Yes, go for Apollo instead."  
"Isn't that up to Aidra," Paradox insisted and I glanced over to Apollo who was talking with exasperation to his father. Zeus appeared to be trying to calm him down but that seemed like a hard deed even for the King of the Gods.  
"Sure is, but she could ask me first, after all I know how that man works."  
"Mum!" Paradox let out a sound of despair at Hekate's words. "It wasn't really that bad, was it?"

Hekate didn't reply but she squeezed her glass even harder, until it cracked and she stood there with shards in her hand, wine spilling down upon her skirt and shoes. Then she swore instead and Penthesileia looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here. At the same time Apollo shook off Zeus' arm with an angry gesture and instead he walked right up to Ares and punched him in the face. Big mistake, you don't pick fight with the God of War. Ares was not late with an uppercut and a straight punch, sending Apollo flat on his back in the grass. The sun god jumped up as fast, but he quickly became restrained by Alexander and Hermes while Kratos and Hercules held back Ares. Meanwhile both men were angrily snaring at each other. At that moment I felt like joining Penthesileia in 'anywhere else'. Perhaps in the water world with the large sun and strange writings on a withering railing.

O0O0O

"And it was so embarrassing! Shit!" I told Saxa, who was sitting opposite me by my dining table in my Olympian home where we were drinking green tea out of large, peach-coloured terracotta cups. "They fought like drunken bar goers and Apollo was accusing Ares of all kinds of things and Ares was just replying that he was the one going after me while the Sungod had freaked out and ran away, abandoning me. And chaos, that's so true! Without Ares I wouldn't be sitting here right now but falling through chaos knows what! So now I dunno whaaat to do!" I leaned my forehead against the mahogany surface and made faces while Saxa patted me on the head.  
"So so! It's only men. They do things like that. Fight over the women. Showing off their horns and claws, peeing against trees. And wouldn't you know it, those darn Olympian men all think they are such alphas. And the irony of it - the real alpha - Zeus - is the only one who doesn't do it, because he's too relaxed and sure of himself. He knows he doesn't have to."

"True." I lifted my head and regarded Saxa again. "Zeus was so darn reasonable it was almost scary. The way he talked to Apollo and Ares. Not talking down to them but at the same time - well you know. He made them stop. Nevertheless I've hardly been so embarrassed in my whole life. Saxa, it's..."  
"Forget it, Aidra!"  
"But they..."  
"Forget it! This is Olympia. Tomorrow there's something else going on, someone else doing something strange and becoming the talk of the town. Seriously, most people here have seen it all and then some. And they're not that impressed by two blokes slamming their fists into each other anymore. You know, yesterday there were Anacreon and Mithras trading blows. And whatever Apollo accused Ares of having said to you back at that Atlas Orb place doesn't change the fact that almost everyone knows what happened out there."

"What? You mean you watched in Persephone's magic pool?"  
"No. But we got to hear it all not only from Ares, but from all the rest who went out. Doxxie, Leia, Casty, Achi, Alex - even Hades and Theeny have been talking about what went on out there. They told how Ar had insisted on going back and how Hades had tried to talk him out of it and how Paradox had been mad at Hades for not wanting to help you. And how Theeny had tried to urge Pol to go in instead."  
"And Apollo...?" I asked, fearing the reply.  
"He chickened out apparently."  
"Shit!"  
"Look, don't dump him because of that. People can't help they're cowards."

"I've already did!" I stated. While doing so I felt it in my heart that it was oh, so true.  
"Because of Ares?" Saxa sounded taken aback.  
"No, not because of Ares. I don't know what to do about Ares at the moment but I know for sure that Apollo never could have meant business if he wasn't ready to at least try to help me."  
"Aidra, don't you think you're rushing things here?"  
"No, I'm not, Saxa. I'm just following my heart. Doing what she tells me to do. And that is to give up Apollo."  
"And give up all the wonderful things the two of you had? I mean you were so happy. You were just beaming. When you came back to New York in last week, you were like walking ten metres up in the air."  
"Saxa?"  
"Yeah?"

Then there came a moment of silence, the only thing heard was the Robyn's Bodytalk on low volume on my stereo. I looked beyond Saxa and at the empty white wall behind her, regarding the large square of light the sun made through the window. But my inner view was seeing Apollo that night when we had first met. That night when he had taken me home to his place, when we had made love almost until the dawn. Then the picture shifted abruptly, like a cut in a movie and I saw Ares when he pulled me out of the vortex. The relief upon his face at having retrieved me and the love in his eyes. In that instance I felt my own eyes blur. I didn't know what to do. I inhaled deeply and started over:  
"Saxa, what would you have done in my place. With one man who..."  
"Don't think of everything at the same time, try to solve one problem at a time."  
"But there is only one problem!"  
"No, there's at least two. Namely Apollo and Ares."

_Don't include me out_, Robyn sang.

"Elaborate!"  
"Gladly. Apollo. You're uncertain about him and his love because he wasn't there for you in the Atlas Orb. He chickened out. But that's the old gender cliché. That the man shall always go saving the woman. But sometimes it doesn't work that way. Like in your case, you're the warrior, he's the artist. You're way braver and stronger than him. So you'll have to think beyond that and consider the idea that a man and a woman can love each other even if they don't fit in the regular template. Then there's Ares. And I guess you know the problem with that man."  
"No, not really."  
"He's your good old friend, your boss. And he came for you. So you think you owe him. But you don't really. Athena said another thing. She said that you could have done it all by yourself, only that it would have taken a little bit longer."  
"Then she's wrong. I know Athena seldom is, but this is one of those times." I tilted my chair a bit backwards and then I let it fall down again. "I could never have made it myself. I was too terrified. Ares didn't only pull me out, he talked me out of it. He urged me up with his voice, words of encouragements, first mindspoken then off his lips. Saxa, he was wonderful. I could never have done it without him. I could never have killed the beast and got out of the whirlpool without him."

_A_ח_d__ іf уουr world ѕһουld fall apart_  
_I still g__οt room inside mу heart_  
_Jυѕt don't include mе out_

"Okay," Saxa replied, making the word sound like it at least seven stresses. "Then I think we're going to need Freya."  
"Freya?"  
"Yes, Hermes' wife. Norse old love goddess of lost Valhalla. Blond, Loves Prada and Gucci. Remember," Saxa teased me and I nodded before she went on: "She's the only deity of love who isn't related to or has been sexually involved with neither Apollo nor Ares. Well, about that last thing I'm not 110 percent sure, but I think she'd be rather unbiased in this case. Tell her everything you told me and then let's see what she has to say."  
"Sounds fair..." I figured. I had only met Freya briefly, the posh and honey-blond Duffy lookalike seemed to stay off the tracks beaten by the war gods, apparently she and Hermes spent most of their time either in London or in Tuscany, Italy. Before I could change my mind about it, Saxa had pushed back her chair, stood and gulping down the last tea. Then she gripped my arm and pulled me ahead, out of my house, south across the Portal Park and out on the islet where among others Hermes and Freya were living.

"Aren't we going to check if they are at home first?" I asked.  
"If they aren't we'll just ask their nymph. In that case I bet they might be over at Zeus place or down at the beach or something. Or perhaps with Juturna and Aneris and these guys. Playing bridge or betang or something equally boring."

O0O0O

"What you all did in there was impressive and amazing beyond words," Zeus was saying at the celebratory dinner that night, addressing us who had been in the Atlas orb. There we sat, all of us by the honorary table and listened to the speech of the king of the gods. Ares, Apollo, Athena, Hades, Hercules, Penthesileia, Phobos, Deimos, Polemos, Paradox, Achilles, Alexander, Nike, Xantos, Enyo, Castor, Pollux, Bellona, Kratos, Kyknos and I. Plus Taranor, Artemis, Persephone, Thalassa and Asklepios who had been standing by outside.

"Some might say that Aidra made the final killing stroke against the beast, others may claim that he was already irreparably weakened by Ares' spear while others in return may claim that without Paradox' voodoo he hasn't even come out to fight. Or that without Hades portal management and Athena's calculations the group had never made it to the Atlas Orb at all. And a million other details. However that's not really important. It's not exactly important who did what beyond the knowledge that everybody did more or less what they were best at doing. It was a teamwork. And that is the most amazing thing. When people work together, build upon each other and every one perform his or her little detail almost to perfection, that's when outstanding deeds become performed. You people were great in there because you worked as a real team. You worked out the kinks that happened and you solved the problems which inevitably will appear in a venture like this, because no matter how well you plan, how much you prepare beforehand, there's always some little thing that becomes different when you're there out for the real deal. Therefore the ability for creativity and problem solving become important..."

I somehow stopped listen. Zeus is amazing but he tends to be a bit talkative from time to time. Being a bit on the impatient side, I wasn't really that receptive for his inspiring speeches. Instead I stared up in the Aether sky, noting a star that fell and wished for guidance with my love dilemma. Freya had done what she could to be helpful. She had listened and then she had said almost the same as Saxa, but with a tiny nuance to it. Because when Saxa more or less had urged me to stay with Apollo, Freya in turn had said things like 'Ares was the one who couldn't stand the loss of you' and 'Ares and you are of the same ilk. You understand each other'. Then she had urged me one really strange thing. Freya had made sure no one else could hear us and then she had taken me aside and told me to masturbate tonight. To imagine I was making love to a man, having the most wonderful sex. And then see whose face appeared in front of my closed eyes.

I looked across the tables, diagonally to where Freya was sitting at a round table together with her Hermes and Eos, Silvanus, Inero, Flora and a few others. She felt my eyes, turned slightly and winked at me. A slight smile playing across glossy lips and fingers upon the glass, tipping it slightly in my direction. Smiling back, I tipped my glass in return. A swift and wordless communication across the tables while Zeus droned on:  
"...then we must not forget that the war is far from over. We might think about the state of the world as a cancer patient. We've removed the big, fat tumors, but there are still child tumors to take away. We won't do that with extensive surgery, there's no need, there'll be radiation treatment and medicines. With those allegories I mean warfare of the kind you all know..."

Again my eyes wandered across the table... Ares. He was sitting with his cheek in his hand, and he took his attention from his father the minute my eyes came across his. At that moment he smiled gently, then he mindspoke me. _If you go on with Apollo, I can wait. I know that our time will come. _Was that conceited or just full of wishful thinking? It was impossible to know. Then I searched out Apollo, he was sitting a few chairs away from me, on the other side of Hercules, Enyo, Phobos and Nike. Not next to me as he always had done earlier. He was not even glancing up but looking down upon his plate, sloped shoulders, apparently not sensing my eyes. At that time I felt so sorry for him that my heart skipped a beat and eyes almost stung. I did love that man. I did... in spite of everything.

_If you go on with Apollo, I can wait. I know that our time will come. _Oh, Ares, why...


End file.
